The Pen
by WisdomOfNayru
Summary: AU LxZ, Modern. As a nerdy orphan student with crippling depression, Link isn't sure if he can go on. But Link manages to find a different life: one where he might finally find happiness. But are his hopes really justified? Rated T for rare cases of mild language and an event that may possibly be frightening to small children.
1. Chapter 1: The Final Day

**A/N: So I've been reading for a while now, but never got the chance to actually write. I also never reviewed, as you can tell by the age of my account. But I think I've done you all a favor by avoiding that since I'm a huge grammar Nazi. But that's besides the point.**

 **Anyways, the reason I started writing now of all times is because I've been going through some tough times. This fic is mostly a vent for my frustrations and an attempt at convincing myself that stuff will turn out fine (as I plan to make it in the fic). So the atmosphere of the story will be kind of dark and/or gloomy at times. Think Twilight Princess's art style, but in text form!**

 **Now with school and stuff, I might be busy, but you can expect an update at least once a week unless I say so in an A/N. I already have the beginning and the end of the story worked out, as well as some twists in the middle.**

 **EDIT: OH MY GOSH I FORGOT TO DO THIS:  
I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers. Please don't sue me.**

 **So without further ado, I present to you: The Pen.**

* * *

Dawn of the Final Day.

"MEEEEEEEP! MEEEEEEEP! MEEEEEEEP!"

I rubbed my eyes groggily as I sat up to look at my "alarm clock".

"MEEEEEEEP! MEEEEEEEP! MEEEEEEEP!"

I glared at my pet rock, the Gossip Stone. It was a round, gray stone that stood upright. It had a piercing eye carved into the front, where I focused my glare. "Can't you at least pick the same sound every day?" I slapped the stone forcefully to shut it up.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 07:17. You're gonna be late for school, Link."

"I can get ready in ten minutes, no problem," I retorted, stuffing my face back into my pillow.

"Come _on_ , Link. Today's your last day. Just hang in there, buddy."

"Fine," I sighed, dragging my feet out of bed.

I made my way over to the bathroom, where I brushed my teeth. I splashed water over my face, hoping it would clear the fog from my eyes. No luck. As usual. I walked back into my room and pulled off my white T-shirt and my navy blue shorts, discarding them onto the bed. I replaced them with a green T-shirt with three triangles printed on the front, and a plain pair of brown shorts. I slipped on my favorite green jacket, even though it was almost summer. I then proceeded to half-fall down the stairs.

"Aryll! Time to get up!" My little sister ran down the stairs and straight past me to the kitchen.

"'Hoy, Big Brother!" she said cheerfully. Dear goddesses, this girl was energetic. She was like some ungodly hybrid between a night owl and an early bird, while I was a cross between a day owl and a late bird. And I was the one who was supposed to take care of her. Ah, well. Not like anybody else was gonna do it.

I walked into the kitchen in time to watch Aryll pour her cereal into a bowl of milk. Yes, milk first, like a crazy person. I stole the box after she finished misusing it and poured myself a bowl of cereal before dousing it in milk. I ate silently, listening with little interest to Aryll go on about how it was summer tomorrow, and about how she would have so much fun with her friends, and about how she was going to cut so much grass and save up for a new phone. When we were done, I rinsed the bowls off. I slung my shield-print backpack and replica sword over my shoulder and we headed out. I dropped Aryll off at her elementary school on the way to my middle school. I walked into class the exact moment the bell rang.

"Link! Late again! Tsk, tsk, tsk," scolded Ms. Campbell, my Ancient Hylian teacher. Dragmire and his goons snickered. Goddesses, she was frustrating. I don't even know how she managed to get a teaching job. As for Ganondorf Dragmire, he and his goons have been harassing me since the beginning of time. It was really frustrating because all my teachers somehow liked him better than me. Yeah, go pick the loud, disruptive, asshole of a kid as your favorite, why don't you. I couldn't even do anything about it since there were four of them and I couldn't draw my weapon on school property. I could probably take on any one of them too. Zant was a short little shit, Vaati was pretty much a living noodle, and Ghirahim was a creepy goth kid who strutted. Ugh, gross. The only issue might be Ganondorf himself, but I'm sure I could take him on without his goons backing him up.

Nobody could see it, but I was absolutely _seething_. I didn't bother saying anything, opting to make a beeline for my seat in the near back corner.

The next five periods were a complete waste of time. Nobody speaks Ancient Hylian anymore, math is really easy at this level, I'm undefeated in the ring for our fencing unit, and I already knew every single bit of history there was to learn. The only thing I did that was mildly productive was eat my lunch.

I sighed as I joined the stampede out of the school. I was finally done with this goddess-forsaken school.

"Hey, nerd!" Except for that. I drew my sword and hid in the bushes as Dragmire and his goons came through, obviously looking to give me a black eye or two. Zant was the only one who saw me, but I dragged him into the bush and hit him atop the head with the hilt of my blade. Nothing lethal, but enough to silence him while I made my escape.

By the time I got to Aryll's school, her friends were basically having a party. She waved when she saw me. "'Hoy, Big Brother! Mind if I go with my friends to the party? I know the way home, I promise!"

"Sure," I replied. "It'll give me some personal time."

She whooped and ran off with her friends. "Be sure to be back before sundown!" I yelled after her. I sighed, finishing my walk home alone.

As soon as I got home, I ran up to my room and opened my Quest Log. It was a giant green tome that was bigger than the top of my nightstand and thicker than Ganondorf's skull. It had the words "QUEST LOG 1" printed on the front cover in dark letters. I unsheathed my favorite pen from its spot on the inside front cover of the Log. It was modeled after a really nice sword: It had an ornate blue hilt with wing-like protrusions and a handle that acted as the clicker. The rest of the pen looked like a shining silver blade, with the occasional nook for grip and the ballpoint coming out the tip. I smiled and started writing.

 _Well, today sucked, but at least it's over. I've got the entire summer without having to worry about anything. Almost makes me like life again. I really hope next year is different. I don't know what I'll do if I have to go through another year of this. But I guess that'll come when it comes._

 _Life just feels really empty right now. I don't have any friends, everyone hates me, and nobody wants to talk to me about anything serious. Heck, the only reason I stayed is that Aryll needs me. I just wish there was somebody I could truly confide in.  
_

I felt a tear in my eye, so I sheathed the pen and closed the Quest Log. Time to sleep I guess. I glanced over at my Gossip Stone. "Don't wake me up tomorrow."

* * *

 **A/N: Surprise! No Zelda in the first chapter! Bet you guys weren't expecting that one, eh? Don't worry though, Link's love interest will come in soon enough. I just want to spend a bit of time developing Link's character and the situation before stuff gets crazy. The current plan is that we meet Zelda in Chapter 3, and I don't plan on changing that.**

 **Also, I really don't want to do an OC, but the way the story is in my head, I might have to. If anybody has an idea for a friendly rival for Link, tell me. I don't really want to use Groose because of the way he creeps on Zelda in the game, but I can't think of another rival who's not also an antagonist.**

 **And for those curious, no I am not just finishing middle school. This is just character development for Link. Real events will probably go up to around Link's late high school years, depending on how long I take to write this. Fairy tales start after that.**

 **Oh, but where are my manners? Here's the obligatory conclusion of THANKS FOR READING, R &R if you time! I promise the A/N won't be as lengthy next chapter, I just had a lot to say with this being the first chapter and all.**


	2. Chapter 2: Awakenings

**A/N: First things first, before I FORGET again:  
I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers. Please don't sue me.**

 **Okay, back to business. You might notice that it's been less than two days since Chapter 1 went up. That's because I already had the first three chapters drafted before I published at first. They just need to be revised and edited, cooked and recooked, etc. etc. But don't expect such quick updates after Chapter 3 rolls out.**

 **Anyhow, I'll spare you any more chit chat and get straight into it. I present to you: Chapter 2 of The Pen!**

* * *

 _A girl…_

 _A girl with long blonde hair that fell down her back like a sheet of silk._

 _A girl with perfect locks of hair tied in perfect purple ornaments that framed her face beautifully._

 _A girl with strong, azure eyes that reflected my own like a mirror._

 _A girl wearing a long white silken dress that made her look almost ethereal._

 _A girl who had a single word on her lips. 'H...he…help'._

 _Help?_

I awoke in a cold sweat, sitting up with as much speed as my human muscles would allow. Unfortunately, my forehead met my sister's with an unpleasant bang.

"Owwww…Big Brother! What were you doing?" yelled Aryll. Her glare made her eyes look like angry Blue Bubbles. The Bubbles quickly faded into her usual twin sapphires, expressing her concern. "You were asleep for really long, even by your standards. Your rock thinks it was more than thirteen hours. What's wrong?"

" _Gossip Stone_ ," I corrected. "And nothing's wrong. I was just tired from yesterday." That was only partly true. I banged on my Gossip Stone to confirm the time.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 11:43." It _was_ really late. "Ugh, I overslept—"

"Well, obviously."

"Shut up," I replied indignantly. "Actually, I think I'll go into Kakariko to get some food for the week. Come with?"

"Sure," chirped Aryll, obviously forgetting about her concern from about twenty seconds ago. "Can we cut grass and smash pots again?"

I laughed. "You know it."

After Aryll had thundered down the stairs, I brushed my teeth and replaced my navy blue shorts with a pair of brown cargo shorts. I also put on my green jacket, not bothering to change my shirt. My hair was probably crazy, so I covered it with a green cap. I ran downstairs, making a detour to the kitchen to grab a couple of granola bars. Breakfast. I then slung my now-empty Hylian Shield backpack over my shoulder and slipped my sword's scabbard underneath it.

* * *

Aryll was on her hands and knees, huffing and puffing, by the time we got to the town. "Maybe you shouldn't have sprinted for the first half of the trip." I was answered with a wordless huff as Aryll fell over into the dust. I helped her over to a large tree in the middle of the square and sat her against it, on the shady side. "Wait for me here, okay?" Another huff.

I headed to the local Malo Mart to do my groceries. A jug of Lon Lon Milk. Check. A jar of green Chu Jelly. Check. A bag of Deku Nuts. Check. Granola bars, a box of Her-Os and a new glass bottle. Check, check, and check. I padded over to the cashier to pay for my stuff. But apparently empty bottles cost a small fortune and I was just lucky to find a few lying around. I reluctantly slid three gold rupees across the table. The cashier scooped them up and gave me two reds, a blue, and three greens in return.

By the time I got back to the square, Aryll was already sitting up on the tree's branches. She jumped down when she saw me coming.

"'Hoy, Big Brother!" she chirped. "I've already done some pot smashing in that back alley. Check it out!" She opened her backpack, which was half-full of green rupees, with the occasional blue rupee or pottery shard mixed in. I chuckled.

"Are you ready to go home then? I'll let you borrow my sword if you want to cut the grass in the Field." She nodded enthusiastically.

* * *

Aryll was still running and cutting grass as we arrived home. I had to give her a bottle of green Chu Jelly to keep her going, which seemed to be working pretty well. She returned my sword before dragging both our backpacks inside. I was about to go inside before the loudest, weirdest call met my ears.

"Mr. Link! WAAAAAAIT!"

A short guy with huge eyes and tiny white clothes ran up to me at an incredible speed. He wore a tall red banner with the word POSTMAN printed in big white letters. And he ran with the most exaggerated 'hut, hut, hut' I have ever heard. I didn't even question how he knew my name.

"Mr. Link, you have MAAAAAAIL!" He handed me an envelope with an ornate triforce seal. "And my job here is done!"

Huh. Weird. I didn't know people still sent letters. I waited until the postman was completely out of sight before I went inside. I emptied my backpack, storing the milk and jelly in the fridge and the nuts, granola bars, and cereal in the cupboard. I kept the bottle out the counter. I retired to my room before breaking the seal on the envelope. The letter inside read:

 _Mr. Link Forester,_

 _I am pleased to tell you that you have received a scholarship to complete your education at Hyrule Castle Town Academy, free of charge. Our scouts have noticed that you do exceptionally well in your academics, despite your difficult situation. As such, we would like to provide you with a safe environment for learning in order to unlock your full potential._

 _It has also come to our attention that your younger sister, Miss Aryll Forester requires care. Should you decide to accept our offer in September, she will be admitted to our Junior Castle Town Academy. We will also provide you both with dorm rooms, free of charge._

 _We look forwards to seeing you in September._

 _Headmaster Gaepora Harkinian_

Oh, right. My marks. I hadn't bothered to look at them, and I don't think I will now either. Doing "exceptionally well" was good enough for me.

"Hey, Aryll! Come check this out!" I put some water, Chu Jelly, and Deku Nuts in a pot and started boiling it. It was Grandma's secret recipe that she taught me three years ago. Aryll took a moment to read over the letter while I tended to the soup, adding pumpkin and fish when it started boiling.

"Wow, that's pretty cool, Big Brother!" she exclaimed.

"So do you want to go?" I asked, stirring the pot of Elixir Soup cooking on the stove.

"I don't know…I mean I would have to leave all my friends."

"Hey, I'm doing fine without friends," I joked.

"But I'm not you!" she protested.

"I'm sure you'll make some new friends. There's a Junior Academy there with kids your age." I filled two bowls with the hearty soup.

"I guess…"

"So you'll go with me?"

"Sure." Aryll downed her soup and burped. "I'm tired, I'm gonna go to bed."

I nodded and drank my own soup. Mmm. It filled me up as if I ate a meal.

* * *

I sat cross-legged on the floor, pen in hand and Quest Log open on the floor in front of me. I'd been reading through the Log, amazed at the fact that all of those bad days would be in my past. Amazed at the thought of never having to write a sad entry again. Maybe that was a bit far, but hey, a guy can dream, right?

 _Today was pretty crazy. We went to Kakariko to stock up on food and stuff. I scored an empty bottle and Aryll brought home a bag full of rupees. She can do the horizontal slash pretty well, maybe she could go into fencing at some point._

 _What's even crazier is the fact that I managed to land a scholarship with the Hyrule Castle Town Academy. I'll go to a recognized school, get into a good university, and hopefully build a future for myself and Aryll. But most importantly, I'll get to turn over a new leaf. I get to start fresh. Maybe people will actually like me there. I can hardly wait to find out._

 _I still can't get over that dream I had though. It was just the girl, nothing else. I don't even think the ground was there. I mean I'm not complaining. She was kind of attractive, to be honest. It gave me more time to focus on her. But the only thing she said was "help". I don't get it. Who was she? Help with what? Why me? I don't mind helping a pretty girl, but I'm not like a prophet or a hero or anything. I'm just a regular kid._

Ugh, my head hurts. Hopefully I'll get some answers soon. For now, I need some rest. I tapped my Gossip Stone.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 01:26." Past 1 AM.

I need some sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: Did you really think I was gonna leave Link in that horrible school with those mean bullies? Well like I said, Chapter 1 was just an introduction to Link's beginnings, mostly for context. There's a bit of plot development here in Chapter 2, but the real action starts when Link meets Zelda. Can't wait to publish Chapter 3!**

 **And I bet you guys can't wait to R &R! I know I'm still small-time, but every little bit is another reason for me to write.**

 **Also, no spoilers, but I think you should all be able to guess who the dream girl is ;)**

 **Stay tuned guys, and may the WisdomOfNayru be with you. (HAH! Isn't that clever? I picked Nayru for a reason, you know!)**


	3. Chapter 3: A New Day

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers. Please don't sue me.**

 **Alright, now that that's over with, I am disappointed to announce that this is the last chapter that I had prewritten before my initial publication. That means that chapters will roll out much more slowly from here on out. Don't worry though, I'll still try my best to write a chapter at least once a week.**

 **But I'm sure you guys are just here for the story, so I'll just leave you with CHAPTER 3 of The Pen!**

* * *

"Aryll, don't forget to pack your stuff!" I had been packing everything important in my room for the trip tomorrow.

"Yeah, yeah, Big Brother. I already have everything I need," she replied.

I still couldn't believe the summer was over so quickly. I guess it was because I was actually excited for school for once. I mean, lazy days and trips to Kakariko are fun and all, but I had Castle Town to look forward to—Castle Town! I literally could not wait. Good thing I didn't have to anymore.

I continued packing stuff. I had a suitcase for clothes, a box of the notes I thought were important, and a school backpack full of miscellaneous trinkets—an ocean-blue ocarina, a weird magnifying glass thing, a creepy red and black crystal, and some rupees. My Quest Log took up a suitcase of its own, but I had to bring it and people would think me crazy if I just left it out in the open. My pen was tucked in the front pocket of my green travel tunic. I looked around, making sure that I hadn't forgotten anything. Everything seemed to be in order. I poked my Gossip Stone.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 22:39."

Time to get some sleep. I don't want to be late. "Gossip Stone, wake me up at 7 tomorrow, kay?"

The Gossip Stone bounced slightly. "Yes, Link. 07:00 tomorrow morning."

Satisfied, I went to bed.

* * *

Dawn of a New Day.

"Beep. Beep. BEEEEEEP! Beep. Beep. BEEEEEP! Beep. Beep. BEEEEEP!"

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. The Gossip Stone had picked an especially annoying sound today. I struck it lightly to silence it.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 07:02. You have one hour and fifty-eight minutes before the driver arrives." Great! Two hours to do morning stuff.

I brushed my teeth and went downstairs to get breakfast, bringing my bags down with me. "Aryll! You want breakfast?" I called.

"Hold on, I'm just packing the rest of my stuff!" she replied, sounding quite panicked. Just then, I heard a whole bunch of... _stuff_ hit the floor. I swear to Din I even heard a cat yowl. I cringed.

"Are you okay up there?" I asked, rather concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," insisted Aryll. A second later, she yelped, and I heard some more stuff fall. This time, it was mostly a distinctive metallic _clang_. "Uhhh, I changed my mind HELP!" I sighed, dashing up the stairs to her room.

I entered to a mess of clothes thrown messily into open bags. Aryll was pinned under a pile of...shields? I avoided clothes, a boomerang, and...a broken pot...to get to Aryll in her spot of distress by the closet.

"These are some nice shields," I teased. I pointed at the one on top of the pile. "This one looks exactly like my backpack!"

"I DON'T CARE JUST HELP ME OUT OF HERE ALREADY!" she screamed.

"Okay, okay," I held my hands up in the air for a second, before getting to work on the shields. The first one was an ornate blue shield with the Hylian Crest engraved on it. I recognized that one: a Hylian Shield. The one underneath it was a pathetically tiny wooden shield with a spiral carving. It looked like Deku wood, so I dubbed it the Deku Shield. Underneath that was a sturdier-looking wooden shield that resembled a Hylian Shield. I called it the Wooden Hylian Shield. The second bottom one was an extremely brightly polished silver shield. I could see my own reflection in it. I called it the Mirror Shield.

"Hey, Aryll, can I keep this one?" I asked, admiring the shield's simplistic beauty.

"Fine," she grumbled, pushing an Iron Shield off of herself. "I have to finish packing."

I sighed, about to head downstairs, when my Gossip Stone called out. "LINK DON'T YOU DARE FORGET ME IN HERE!" Oh.

"Sorry, buddy." I picked up the Stone and put it under my hat. "Sit tight, there."

* * *

Our driver was a big, dark man who introduced himself as Gonzo. He looked extremely uncomfortable in his crisp suit. He helped us get our bags into the back of his car: three suitcases, two backpacks, and a duffel bag. We made some small talk on the two-hour drive to Castle Town. He apparently used to be the captain of a ferry before an incident put him out of business. Now, he was a chauffeur who still dreamed of the sea.

"So what put you out of business?" I asked.

"She used to work for pirates," he replied.

"She? Pirates?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Aye. Me old ship, The Queen of Red Lions."

"So what did they find on 'her'?"

"Centuries-old bombs, said to have been used by the legendary Hero of the Winds. She was taken to a museum, and her beautiful sails replaced with pirate flags." So his ship was used by _the_ pirates... "Arr, but lookie-here, we've arrived." Gonzo took a sharp right and stopped in front of an ornate building. "Headmaster wants to see ya. His room's in the hall on yer right, third one in. I'll take care of yer bags."

Aryll and I left, saying our thanks for the ride. We followed his directions, knocking on the third door on the right of the hall. We were rewarded by a booming "come in!" So we did.

"Ah, you must be Link!" the headmaster was a giant of a man with an owlish face and a booming voice. He extended his hand for a handshake. I took it. Ow. "And that means you're Aryll!" he shook her hand too, but without as much force. Grrr.

"Hmm. I'll get to know you two later. Now, I'm sure you want to get settled in. Aryll, the Junior Campus is on the east of the building, which is out the door at the end of the hall. I've notified Horwell of your arrival, he will be there to show you to your room." He gestured toward what I presumed was east. "Link, your dorms are on the north of this building, which means you would turn left where Aryll would exit. Your room number is 105. Your classes will be held in the building to the west of here. Your locker number and combination is on this paper. Take these maps too, it'll help you." He gave us both folded up pieces of paper, then dismissed us. We politely left.

I decided to try out my locker first, since I would just stay at my dorm once I got there. When I got to the right hallway, there was a girl there, doing something to her locker. The one directly next to mine, I noted. She wore a long pink dress and brown boots. There was a cloth embroidered with a Hylian Crest tied around her waist. When I got to my locker, she turned around to face me.

"Oh, hi! I haven't seen you around before. I'm Zelda." She reached out with her left hand. "Zelda Harkinian."

"I'm Link." I shook her left hand with my own. "Link Forester." She grinned.

Wow. She was...uh...really pretty. Her blonde hair was in a low ponytail, with some hair falling down on either side of her face. She she wore three thick, white hair ties, one on her ponytail and one on each side of her face. She had the most stunning blue eyes I had ever seen, and she had...a foam sticker stuck to her cheek.

Link, stop staring. I looked over at her locker briefly, which had ELDA spelled out on the inside of the door in foam stickers. Link, stop staring. I looked down the hall behind her. Nothing there. Link, stop staring!. I literally could not stop staring at this girl.

She was going on about how they only put one Z in all of those sticker packets, and how she had lost the Z and would have to get a new packet just for the Z so she could spell her name on her locker. Just then, she caught me staring. Dang it.

"Uhh, Link? Is there something wrong?" I resisted the urge to slap myself.

"There's...uh...a Z on your face," I answered hesitantly.

"OH! My Z!" She felt around her face, and, locating the Z sticker, stuck it before the ELDA already on her locker. "Thank you SO much!" She hugged me.

She hugged me. Oh my Din, she hugged me.

I flushed.

"I...uh...have to get back to my dorm," I said, trying to excuse myself.

"Don't you still h-"

"IstillneedtounpackcanttalkBYEEEE!" I ran down the hall, trying as best as I could to hide the crimson blush that my face insisted on showing. Stupid, stupid, stupid Link.

When I got back to by dorm, I was greeted with my two suitcases and my Hylian Shield backpack. I took my Quest Log out and slid it under one of the beds. The other one had a note that read:

 _To any roommate who may turn up:_

 _I am currently out of the country, and will be back on September 8. This is my bed, so don't take it!_

 _-Shiek Kah_

So I'll have a roommate at the end of this week. That's fine. I left my other suitcase open at the bottom of my closet, and put the trinkets from my backpack and my Gossip Stone on my nightstand. I looked over at my clothes suitcase again. Eh, I'll unpack them when I need them.

The Gossip Stone coughed emphatically. "Jeez, Link, what do you keep in that hat of yours?"

"Just you and my hair."

"Then wash your dang hair!"

"Hey, just be glad that I didn't squish you in with some of my other stuff. I doubt it's good to be pressed against that creepy crystal." I shivered. On second thought, I'd rather that one be in the drawer.

After a while, I slid out my Quest Log from under the bed took out my pen from my front. "Shut up now, I have to write, kay?"

 _This is cool, I guess, being in a dorm in a private school in Castle Town. Would be pretty cool if I didn't make a fool out of myself on the first day._

 _So I met this really pretty girl, and I just lost all social ability. She caught me staring at her within the first two minutes of social interaction. I apparently helped her a bunch with some sticker thing though, and she hugged me. I enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure my face was redder than an overripe tomato at that moment. I ran away without really saying anything, which I regret now. On top of all of that, her locker is right beside mine, so I'll have to relive that for the rest of this year at least._

 _I hope she doesn't think I'm weird. Because I think I like her...maybe...I don't know!_

Ugh, this is too much for me. I'm gonna go to sleep. There's class tomorrow. I tapped the Gossip Stone. "Wake me up at 7 again."

* * *

 **A/N: AHA, and there it is! This chapter is way longer than the other two that I've done, and I think I'll do this more often because it allows for more development. Aryll is also really fun to write, so I'll include her as much as I can.**

 **But the focus from here on out will be ZELDA, I promise! Two and a half chapters is long enough of an intro, so prepare for some LxZ goodness. Next chapter will be a longer break though, so be ready for that too.**

 **Drop me a review if you feel the need. Make sure to stay tuned, and may the WisdomOfNayru be with you!**


	4. Chapter 4: Secrets

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers.**

 **Alright, first things first, to anon "A person" on Chapter 2: I want to update every Thursday at around 6pm ET and Sunday at around 2pm ET, but I'm not sure if I can commit to that. So look forward to it on those days, but don't riot if not. Also:**

 **THE DREAM GIRL IS ZELDA! FREAKING ZELDA! I'M SHIPPING LINK AND ZELDA AND I SAID SO IN THE STORY DESCRIPTION, AND I MENTIONED THE SHIP IN THE ENDNOTE OF BOTH OF THE FIRST TWO CHAPTERS, WHY WOULD SHE BE ANYONE OTHER THAN ZELDA?**

 **Ahem. There's that. Anyways this chapter is like _super_ long because I kept adding little bits of dialogue everywhere to make it flow better. I also had to set up most of the week because nobody just shows up to things without plans, right? But I'd think of it as a 2-for-1 deal: twice the reading in one update!**

 **With that out of the way, let's get on to Chapter 4, shall we?**

* * *

"BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"

I rubbed my eyes. "Dear goddesses, could you be more annoying?" I glared at the Gossip Stone. "Don't answer that."

I tapped the Gossip Stone.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 07:01."

Classes start at eight. So one hour to do morning stuff. I brushed my teeth and heated a Pop Tart in the toaster. Then, I got dressed, grabbed my backpack, and picked up the Pop Tart as I passed through the kitchen. I was out the door in fifteen minutes.

With the extra time on my hands, I figured I would explore the campus. The first thing I noticed was a massive gym wing off to the side of the path between the classroom wing and the dorm wing. It looked like a giant stadium and had a field for every imaginable sport behind it. Thing must've cost a fortune. Out of curiosity, I went inside.

The stadium was massive, way bigger than anybody could ever have a use for. It housed a basketball court and several martial arts rings, and the seats went so high you could fit a room underneath it. A teacher emerged from a door behind the seats, confirming my theory.

"HEEYYY! I've never seen you around! You must be the new kid, Link! I'm Mr. Megaton!" Mr. Megaton was a giant of a man, with tan skin and whitening hair. And a booming voice. "Whatch'a doing here anyways?"

"I'm just exploring the campus before class starts," I answered.

"OHHH! Some free time, eh? Do you wanna try fencing with me?" he offered.

Fencing? My expertise. "Sure!"

Mr. Megaton led me into the back room that he came from. He handed me a gray mask and I put on a green tunic over my T-shirt. The teacher donned his own mask and a red tunic. I picked up a light sword and we went back to the main room. "No touches below the belt. Anything else is legal," he explained. We squared off in a martial arts ring.

"Oh, a lefty! This should be interesting!" I nodded in response. "Ready?" I gave him a thumbs up. "THEN LET'S GOOOO!"

Mr. Megaton lunged at me. I blocked with my sword, and tried a basic thrust. The teacher blocked it expertly, reacting with lightning speed. He answered my attack with a furious barrage of slashes. I sized him up with my blocks. Powerful, fast swings, and solid blocks. This was going nowhere fast, and if he kept this up, I would lose. But I had other ways of getting to my opponents. I feigned an aggressive slash, sending my opponent into a blocking position, then I jumped backwards. Mr. Megaton took the bait. I smirked under my mask.

I dodged past his thrust, towards his right flank, then I rolled sideways all the way around to his back. Before the bigger man had a chance to react, I jumped up in a showy half-spin and poked him square in the middle of the back. _Back slice_.

"HOHO! That was quite the display! You might even be able to beat our champion! Come to fencing club tomorrow after school, I wanna see that fight!" He took off his mask, and dropping his weapon, extended his right hand. I took off my own mask and dropped it on the floor, shaking his hand. "Ya know what? You've earned my respect, Link. Only two people in this academy can beat me in fencing. From now on, you can call me Darunia."

"Thanks, M- uhh, Darunia," I replied.

"OHO, but you'd better get going! You've only got ten minutes before class starts!" added the teacher.

"Oh you're right!" We said our goodbyes, and I headed over to my locker. I probably should have tested it yesterday, but Zelda was there. Oh right. Zelda. I hope she doesn't think I'm weird.

When I got to my locker, Zelda wasn't there. The two lockers to the right of hers were also vacant. To the right of those, there were two guys—a tall guy with blue hair, and a big guy who looked a lot like Darunia. I tested my locker combination (it worked, thankfully) before joining their conversation.

"...Wednesday at 3," finished the blue-haired guy. "Oh hey, I haven't seen you around before," he remarked, changing his focus to me. "I'm Mikau Marine, guitarist in the school band, The Indigo-Go's." He extended his right hand. I shook it.

"Link Forester of Kakariko," I said. Even though I'm not technically from Kakariko, it was probably the closest town that they would recognize. Mikau nodded.

"I'm Darmani Megaton, drummer for the band," offered the other guy. "Hey, do you play anything? We kinda need another person to make the setup symmetrical."

"Well, I play the ocarina," I offered.

"Doesn't the ocarina compliment the harp really well?" Darmani looked at Mikau.

"Yeah, it does. And it sounds nice on its own too," replied Mikau. He turned over to me. "So we'll see you Wednesday at 3? My place, dorm room 108."

"Wednesday at 3, dorm room 108," I confirmed, before heading into class, with the two musicians in tow.

When I walked in, Zelda waved me down, gesturing at an empty spot beside her. At least now I know she doesn't think I'm weird. As I took the spot, Mikau whispered something at Darmani. They both snickered. Weird.

"Hey, Link, how's it been?" Zelda greeted me.

I was about to greet her back when the fiery redhead on the other side of her said something inaudible. Zelda's eyes widened. I felt a bit left out. The redhead continued. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my goddesses, shut up, Mal!" groaned Zelda. 'Mal' did not shut up. I turned my entire head towards them.

'Mal' spoke again, louder this time. "Hey Zel, you wouldn't mind if I spoke up a bit, would you?"

Zelda's eyes widened even more, if that was possible. "MALON LON, IF YOU DON'T STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT I WILL PERSONALLY-"

The teacher came in. Everyone fell silent. Zelda gave Malon a death glare, while Malon grinned innocently. Zelda scowled and turned to face the front. I took this as a sign that I should too.

"Greetings, class. Seeing as we have a new student, I am going to introduce myself. I am Mr. Lumo, and I am your teacher for Modern Hylian." I tried to suppress a grin. This guy talks like a dweeb.

I ignored Mr. Lumo for most of the period, instead preferring to sneak glances at Zelda and doodle on my page. By the end of the period, I had a semi-realistic portrait of Zelda in the corner of my page. Whoops. I blushed. The bell rang, and everyone got up.

"Hey, that's pretty good," remarked Zelda. "Do you have art? It'd be a waste if you didn't." I felt my blush darken. Damn it, Link...

I gave Zelda my timetable, trying to hide my blush as best as possible.

"Whoa, you have the exact same schedule as me!" she grinned. "That means I can show you around!" She grabbed my hand and dragged my over to our next class. It was simultaneously a blissful heaven and a red-cheeked hell.

When we got to our next class, math, Zelda sat me down beside her again. A blue-haired girl, apparently named Lulu, took the other seat next to Zelda. She whispered something to Zelda, causing the latter to flinch. She seemed a lot less persistent than Malon, though. During that encounter, another bluenette took the remaining spot beside me.

"Um, h-hi. W-what's your n-na-name?" she asked.

"Uh, I'm Link. Nice to meet yo-"

"RUTO! I mean, um, I'm R-Ruto. Do you wanna, like, um, hang out after school?"

Umm NO! How is that your second sentence after meeting me? Creepy!

"No. I, uh, have to go meet with my sister after school, then, um, Zelda's gonna show me around." I looked at Zelda. She nodded. Thank Nayru!

"Oh, okay...how about tomorrow?" This girl was really persistent. Luckily I already have an excuse.

"Can't. Da- uh, Mr. Megaton wants me to go to fencing club," I countered.

"Then Wednesday?"

"I'm meeting over at Mikau's to try out for their band," I declined. At this, Ruto huffed. Zelda tapped me on the shoulder.

"Mikau wants you to play for us?"

"Yeah, he apparently wants the stage to be symmetrical. Why?"

"I'm the harpist and Lulu's our singer," Zelda said. The bell rang before I could express my surprise.

Our teacher, Miss Umbra, was actually really nice. She had a really cool teardrop tattoo on on her left cheek, right under her eye. According to Zelda, it was an old tribal tradition that she took up. Also according to Zelda, her first name was Impa. Pretty cool, pretty cool. The period went by quickly, since Miss Umbra let us discuss our summers and just chill out in general. My period was spend talking with Zelda and Lulu and trying to swat Ruto away.

My lunch was spent getting to know Zelda and her friends. I followed Zelda when we were ordering food because I was sure she knew what was good. We sat down at a rather large rectangular table. Mikau and Darmani were there, bickering about something probably unimportant. Malon and Lulu were whispering in each others' ears. There were also a few others I'd never seen before, who all introduced themselves to me. There was a spiky-haired guy named Pipit, a redhead named Karane, an green-haired girl named Saria, and a pale girl with bright orange hair named Midna.

As we were walking to art class, I listed off the names of our group to Zelda, just to make sure I remembered. "So we've got Malon and Lulu, then Saria, Midna and Karane, then Pipit, Mikau, and Darmani."

"Yep!" she chirped. "And Shiek," she added.

"My roommate," I elaborated. "Out of the country at the moment."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "He said he was in Kakariko when he texted me. Speaking of which, mind if I get your phone number?"

I laughed sheepishly.

Zelda frowned. "You do have a phone, don't you?"

"I never had a reason to get one. The only person I'd ever have to call is Aryll, and then I'd have to buy her one too," I replied.

"Then we'll have to get you one tonight!" smiled Zelda.

As we entered the classroom, a teacher looked up from his easel.

"OH!" he jumped up from his chair. I blinked. Did he even jump? It looked like he just changed his pose in no time at all. "You must be Link!" He was in a bow now. Yep, this guy was definitely teleporting. "I'm Mr. Masq." He returned to his seat. "Do whatever you like, as long as it's art." I looked at Zelda. She shrugged.

For the next period, Zelda and I painted each other. It went smoothly for the most part, except when Mr. Masq suddenly appeared between us, causing me to drop my dirty paint water.

I was more than relieved when the bell rang. Mr. Masq is quite the character, but he kind of freaks me out.

Our next class was Phys. Ed with Darunia. Darmani and Mikau were also in the class. We all greeted him as "Darunia". Darmani looked shocked.

"Hey, where'd you get the right to call my dad Darunia?" he asked.

"Oh, I beat him this morning in a fencing match," I replied.

"Fencing? I want to see you fence!" exclaimed Zelda. "I'll be there tomorrow, you can count on it!"

I blushed slightly. "Darmani says he wants to see me fight 'the champion'. Ought to be a pretty fun match to watch."

In the gym, we did some basketball drills and stuff. I'm terrible with the ball, so Zelda ran circles around me. She even legged me a couple of times, just for fun. I did make a no-look over-the-head shot on the main net while she was watching, so that was good.

After all the classes were over, Zelda and I parted ways briefly. I went to get my stuff for the trip into Castle Town to get a phone. As I walked, I looked over in Zelda's direction. Goddesses, she was pretty. The way her hair bounced when she walked, the way she kept her head held high, the way she maintained her long stride despite her only average height, it all drove me crazy.

And I walked face-first into a tree. Ouch. Aryll laughed.

Wait a second, _Aryll_?

"'Hoy, Big Brother!"

I shook my head and looked over at her. She stuck her tongue out and said in a sing-song voice, "Link likes Zelda! Link likes Zelda!"

"What?" I sputtered. "How do you even know Zelda?"

"You've been staring at her for the past minute, and her sister Tetra is my new best friend," she replied. "Now tell me you like her and I won't tell anyone."

"But I don't even like her!" I protested. A blatant lie.

"That's exactly what you would say if you liked her."

I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance. "That's also exactly what I would say if I _didn't_ like her," I countered.

"But you do," she retorted. "You liiiiiiike her."

I hated myself for not being able to suppress my smile. Aryll just smirked.

"You smiled! That means you like her!" She paraded off before I could say anything.

I looked over at Zelda. A tanned girl, who looked about Aryll's age, with her blonde hair in a bun was skipping in circles around her. I presumed that she was Tetra.

I sighed. Little sisters. I finished the walk to my dorm, resisting all urges (except one) to look at Zelda. I picked up my sword and shield, and slipped them on underneath my backpack. Then I ran out to meet Zelda back at the gym wing. Time to go get a phone.

* * *

 **A/N: And that's that! What secrets are these friends keeping? Will Aryll be able to keep her mouth shut? Will Link be humiliated on his first day? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **Also, I'm gonna mention that this story is stuffed to the brim and beyond with Zelda references. As an example, Aryll's "'Hoy, Big Brother!" is taken directly from Wind Waker. Some of them are really obvious, but if you read really carefully, you'll find some hidden gems, just like in the games.**

 **That's it for me today! Don't forget to review, and I'll see you again on Thursday. Peace out, and may the WisdomOfNayru be with you.**


	5. Chapter 5: The Champion

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers.**

 **Sorry for the late post, I was absorbed in a temple, and I won't make a habit out of it.**

* * *

My new phone is actually pretty fun. I've spent the last two hours trying to break every single one of Zelda's high scores. Though she _was_ the one who bought it for me, I suppose I should be nice to her. But at the same time, I want to get her attention.

Well it's getting late, so I should get to bed. I set my phone down to charge and picked up my pen. I slid out my Quest Log and started to write.

 _My first day here was great! I made tons of friends, and most of my teachers like me. This is the first place I feel like I actually fit in. It's great._

 _Zelda seems to be involved in everything I'm interested in. I'm not complaining, because it means I get to spend a lot of time with her. But I wonder if she likes me like that, or if she just likes me as a friend. I do know for a fact that she likes me as a friend though, so at least that's a thing. It's better than nothing, right?_

 _But what if Aryll tells Zelda that I like her? Oh Din, what if that makes her think I'm creepy? What if this crush ruins my chances of being happy for once? I don't know! I could never tell her then. I hope she likes me and makes the first move..._

I yawned. Time for bed. I poked my Gossip Stone. "Wake me up at seven-thirty tomorrow, kay?" I don't need that extra time in the morning, so might as well get some extra sleep.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

I awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright, looking around the room for a burglar or a murderer or something. Then I looked at the Gossip Stone, which turned out to be the source of the screaming.

"Dear, Farore! You don't need to make me think somebody was about to get murdered to get me to wake up!" I smacked the Gossip Stone. Hard.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 07:47. Yes I did, Link. You're gonna be late," replied the Stone.

"Shoot! You're right!" I got up as quickly as I could, opting to grab a granola bar instead of making breakfast, and ran out the door.

I sat down at my spot just as the bell rang. Whew, on time. Zelda eyed me suspiciously. "Slept in," I whispered.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We got our math textbooks, which I promptly dumped into my locker, and I got a cool T-shirt for gym. Our mascot is a wolf, so that makes us the Castle Town Wolves, I guess.

I also got to know our friend group a little more. It turns out that Malon's dad owns Lon Lon Milk Enterprises, so she's super rich. On top of that, her dad is really good friends with Zelda's dad, so that's where the Headmaster got the money to start this school. I noticed that Midna wears a single shackle on her left wrist, complete with a broken chain. She stayed silent when I asked about it.

Darmani and Mikau told me a legend about something that happened while they were all in the junior academy. Apparently some kid who loved to garden got trapped in a burning garden and died. They say his ghost still haunts that garden to this day, and he'll give you a present if you bring an instrument and play a high E, D, E, D, then drop down an octave and play E, G, E. Zelda thinks the story is baloney, but I want to get Aryll to check out that garden. Hopefully the ghost scares her.

As soon as the bell rang, I went back to my dorm to put everything away. Aryll stopped me again to tease me about the whole Zelda, so I told her about the garden. After harassing me for probably ten full minutes, she finally left me alone so I could put away my stuff.

When I got back to the gym, Darmani was already fighting an opponent. Darmani was dressed in maroon shorts, a gray mask, and a red tunic with the hood pulled up. I could easily recognize him because of his size, but the fencing equipment made the other guy unrecognizable. His opponent wore an identical gray mask, a pair of navy blue shorts, and a blue tunic with the hood up. In addition, he wore a white scarf with an eye embroidered on the front. It was the same eye that was on my Gossip Stone. Hmm. I'll have to ask him about it afterwards.

I looked around at the other rings, and saw a tall guy in blue land a touch on a short guy in green. When the tall guy took of his mask, I recognized him as Mikau. There was also a guy in a bright yellow tunic who was squaring off against a guy in red. I smiled. Only Pipit would wear yellow. I looked around, and sure enough, he was the only figher in yellow.

As I was lost in my thoughts, the fighter in blue unleashed a flurry of thrusts. Darmani was too big a target, and he couldn't block quickly enough. The blue guy poked Darmani square in the chest, and the crowd cheered.

Just then, Darunia approached me. "That," he began, gesturing at the guy with the Gossip Stone scarf, "is our champion. You'll probably want to warm up before hunting the big game."

"Nah," I replied. "I'm already raring to go! Get me some fencing gear! Green tunic, please."

I squared off against the champion as soon as I had my gear on. "Another lefty, eh?" I remarked. My opponent only nodded. I looked around. Malon and Lulu were in the stands, cheering. No Zelda though. Disappointing. Darunia must have felt that this fight would be good enough for him to personally referee, because he stepped up to the side of the ring and counted us in.

"READY?" he boomed. "GO!"

My opponent opened with the flurry that had beaten Darmani. I was ready, and expertly blocked and dodged every single swing. I responded with a four-swing combo that I had used on Darunia yesterday. No good. I guess the champion could beat Darunia, so I wasn't really expecting it to work.

As the fight dragged on, both of us became more cautious. We sized each other up, every swing by one person blocked by a swing by the other. It was clear that this fight would drag on for a while. Just then, my opponent attacked. As I blocked, my opponent jumped backwards. I did a lunging slash, aiming to reach my opponent as quickly as possible. My opponent dodged right under my sword. My eyes widened under my mask as I heard him roll around to my back. The crowd gasped. He knew the Back Slice.

Thinking quickly, I countered with a Spin Attack. I heard the _clang_ of steel on steel as both of us recoiled. Darunia cheered, clearly impressed with our display. Both of us squared off with a new caution. I tried searching for a weakness. My opponent was my equal in speed, in strength, and in reaction time. He had impenetrable blocks, unmatched agility, and powerful attacks. I couldn't find a weakness. I kept on the defensive as I grasped for a plan to take down this formidable foe.

Wait. Powerful attacks. That's it!

As my opponent lunged at me, I feigned a block and jumped backwards. My opponent stumbled over my sudden change of action, but kept his guard up. I was too far back to swing normally, but I did have another trick up my sleeve.

I leaped high up into the air, above my opponent's head. I saw him turn around, looking for me. He didn't realize what I was about to do. With a mighty battle cry and beautiful front flip, I brought the tip of my sword to the back of my disoriented opponent's head. He crumbled, and I stuck the landing. The crowd exploded. _Helm Splitter_.

I took off my mask and dropped my weapon, extending my hand to help my opponent up. My opponent also dropped his weapon, and took off his mask.

No, _her_ mask.

"Zelda?!" I couldn't believe my eyes. Zelda was the school fencing champion. Zelda was the guy that I had just Helm Splittered.

"I did say I would be here," she smiled. She gripped my extended hand. "Well, are you gonna help me up, or what?"

* * *

"Oh my goddesses, you just _have_ to teach me how to do that!" gushed Zelda. Fencing club was over, and everyone else, save for Darunia, was gone already.

"Yeah, of course. You clearly have the natural ability with the sword. Are you free on Thursdays?"

"Yeah, I'll be free then for another three weeks. Nabooru's on vacation, so she can't set up the archery range for us," she replied.

"Oh yeah, why did you have that eye symbol on your scarf?" I asked.

"That's an old warrior's emblem. It's from the Shiekah tribe," replied Zelda. "That's where Impa's ancestors came from."

"So that means they made the Gossip Stones," I mused.

"Gossip Stones?" Zelda seemed surprised. "How do you know about those?"

"I have one. A family heirloom."

"That's so cool! Meet me at my dorm room 205 and bring your Gossip Stone!" She ran off before I could protest. I guess I was headed for Zelda's dorm room then. So I went to my dorm room while Zelda went upstairs. I grabbed my Gossip Stone before heading up to find her.

When I got upstairs, I knocked on Zelda's door. She answered, with another Gossip Stone in her hands.

"Where'd _you_ get that?" I asked.

"Well apparently the Shiekah used to be loyal servants to my family. Before their ways died out, that is. We used to have these things littered around our property, but there aren't that many of them left. Which is why I was surprised that you have one," she explained. "Oh, right, tell your Gossip Stone to talk to Zelda, then put your hand on it," she added. Then she closed the door in my face.

"Okay...uh Gossip Stone, talk to Zelda," I commanded, somewhat unsure. I placed my hand on the top of the Stone.

"Hey, can you hear me?" whispered Zelda. I looked up, startled. The door was still closed. I could hear Zelda's voice through an inch of wood as if she were right next to me.

"Uh, yeah," I answered. "How?"

"The Gossip Stones that are small enough for people to pick up are enchanted. Any holder can talk to any other holder at any time, as long as they both touch their Stones. It's how I communicate with my little sister, Tetra," she explained, no longer whispering.

"Enchanted, huh? Sounds cool. Can it do anything else other than talk to people or wake me up?"

"Well, you can always ask it," she replied.

"Cool. Well, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow," she affirmed.

I went back to my dorm room. Deciding against doing anything else, I cracked open my Quest Log.

 _Well it turns out Zelda's even cooler than I thought. Apparently, she's the fencing champion of the school. She actually put up a pretty good fight, considering it was against me. What's more is that she wants me to teach her about the sword on Thursday. That also means that I get to spend more time with her, so I'm all for it._

 _She also has a Gossip Stone. Apparently they can do a lot of things, like talk to other Gossip Stones. That means we can talk to each other whenever we want._

"That reminds me: what can you do?" I asked, poking the Gossip Stone.

"Besides tell the time and make noise, I can call other Gossip Stones, summon fairies, and lock myself in position. And I can bounce," it answered.

"Hmm. That's interesting. Would you mind locking my Quest Log?"

"Sure. Just put me where you want me and tell me to lock," it replied.

I did, then I went to bed. "Wake me up at 7:30."

* * *

 **A/N: OK, there we go, guys. I promise it won't just be Link getting all fluffy with Zelda. I have a problem planned for Friday in the story. If you can't count, this chapter ends on Tuesday night.**

 **That's it for me, guys. Don't forget to review, and may the WisdomOfNayru be with you!**


	6. Chapter 6: The Ocarina of Time

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers.**

 **I apologize in advance for the short chapter. I've been unexpectedly busy with post-exam celebrations and Canada 150 madness, so I haven't been able to put too much time aside for this. Even so, this chapter holds a lot of weight within the plot of the story, so don't underestimate its shortness.**

 **I promise I'll write a longer one for Thursday, but for now, enjoy Chapter 6!**

* * *

"So, do you know any songs?" asked Mikau.

It was Wednesday at 3, and I was at his place, along with Darmani and Lulu. And Zelda. Most importantly, Zelda.

"Yeah, I know a few that my dad taught me when I was younger. I was like five, but I remember some of the songs did weird stuff when I played them."

"That's impossible!" shouted Darmani. Mikau and Lulu both frowned.

"It's possible," countered Zelda. "It just means that he has _the_ ocarina."

"Yeah, it does. Let me think what song wouldn't be too weird to play...oh I got it!" I pulled out my ocean-blue ocarina played the "Song of Storms". It started raining outside.

"That's incredible!" exclaimed Zelda. "What else can you do?"

"Well, I changed the time once and it apparently caused global panic," I replied. "I also put my music teacher to sleep for a week."

"Do you know any songs that don't do anything crazy?" interrupted Mikau.

"Well this one's supposed to be really pleasing to animals, and there's none here to have the effect." I began playing a song. It did remind me of animals.

Just then, a fat reddish cat jumped through the window. It was soaking wet, but looked happy anyways.

"Valoo!" called Zelda. "Congrats, Link. You called my cat."

I laughed. "I used to use it to call horses. I guess it works for more than just that."

"You're really good, Link," Mikau commented. "But d'you know any songs that do nothing at all? We can't have you getting interrupted all the time."

I thought for a moment. "I guess," I said hesitantly. I started playing something. Zelda gasped, and it looked like she was about to say something, but Mikau glared at her. When I had finished, she got up and dragged me out of the room. She closed the door loudly and pushed me against a wall.

"Where did you learn that?" she demanded.

"Uh, my dad taught it to me when I was little. Could you, um, give me some room to breathe?"

Zelda moved back slightly. "Sorry," she whispered. "But that song is only taught to descendants of the Royal Family."

"I'm pretty sure I'm not royal, though. I mean you would think that I would at least be living in Castle Town, have a decent home, be able t-"

"LINK!" she interrupted. "You're not royal."

"But I thought you said-"

"LINK!" she interrupted again. I pouted. "The song's called Zelda's Lullaby, and I'm a hundred percent sure that you're not my brother."

My eyes widened. "You're a descendant of the royal family?!" Zelda nodded calmly. "But how did my dad know the song then?"

"It means...the legends are true," she replied darkly. She quoted an ancient legend:

 _"My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end!"_

 _"I will rise again!"_

 _"Those like you... Those who share the blood of the goddess and the spirit of the hero... They are eternally bound to this curse."_

 _"An incarnation of my hatred shall ever follow your kind, dooming them to wander a blood-soaked sea of darkness for all time!"_

"I'm of the blood of the royal family: the blood of the goddess. Your father, and therefore you, possess the spirit of the hero," she continued. "I am descended from the Spirit Maiden, Zelda. The Hero of Legends, Link, has chosen you. Our names aren't chance. They are fate."

"I think I know who the incarnation of hatred is," I replied. And all of a sudden, I was there again, seven years ago, on the floor at Ganondorf's feet.

 _"Courage!" boomed Ganondorf. "If you join me, we'll rule the world together!"_

 _It took all my strength to lift my head from the ground. The sand was stained red. "I...don't want to rule the world...with you..." I managed._

 _I felt a boot meet my side. I cried out and crumbled._ _"_ _Pathetic little fool! Do you realize who you're dealing with? I am Ganondorf and soon I will rule the world!"_

 _I heard sirens in the distance. I stopped moving. I stopped resisting._

 _"Power is given. Wisdom will be taken. Then Courage will come naturally," he continued. I felt his hot breath against my ear. "Courage. I will find Wisdom, and I will take her power. Then, you will regret this moment where you defied Power."_

 _Then, I blacked out._

* * *

"Link, you're okay!" I felt Zelda's arms wrap around my body, squeezing me like she did on that first day.

"What happened?" I asked dumbly.

"You said you know who the incarnation of hatred is, then you fainted. Mikau and Darmani went back to practice after they got you to the medical wing, and everyone else came to visit you," Zelda answered. "I was really worried," she whispered.

"Oh." I didn't want to worry Zelda more than I already had, so I kept my mouth shut. I let my eyes wander around the room. Everything was white, in stark contrast with my own green plaid shirt and Zelda's pink T-shirt. Naturally, my eyes were attracted to Zelda. Because she's the only colorful thing in the room okay? Not because I like her or anything. Except I do.

"Oh yeah, Link?" Zelda broke the silence. "Tetra said that Aryll wants to talk to you tomorrow in the garden."

"The Deku kid garden?" Zelda nodded. "What for?" I asked.

"Tetra wouldn't say." I raised an eyebrow.

Just then, a short, thin old man with huge glasses walked in. "Finally," he said. "you're up." I nodded. "You're okay now, so GET OUT!" I grimaced. Nice welcome.

As we were exiting the medical wing, Zelda was talking about the doctor. His name was Dr. Borville, and he was apparently a huge cheapskate, but he was one of the only doctors willing to work at the academy. By Zelda's descriptions, he was generally a creepy guy that you didn't want to spend too long around.

Zelda and I walked back to the dorms, talking about everything and nothing important. When I got to my room, we said our goodbyes, and I went in, ready to write.

 _Today I learned that I have the legendary Ocarina of Time, and that I know songs that only the Hero of Time would know._

 _So I'm the next chosen hero, the next Link. Zelda is a descendant of a family of princesses. And from what I can tell, Ganondorf is the next King of Darkness. The legends are true._

 _According to the legends, Ganondorf would hold the Triforce of Power, Zelda the Triforce of Wisdom, and I the Triforce of Courage. Power was stolen by the King of Darkness, and Wisdom and Courage would work together to defeat it. Ganondorf already knows that I'm Courage, and he's looking for Wisdom right now, if he hasn't already found her. But I don't want Zelda to be involved in this. I don't want to put her in danger. In the short time that I've known her, she's become my best friend, and like a twin sister. I don't want to lose her. I don't think I can handle losing her._

 _...I think I love her..._

* * *

 **A/N: There you go guys! The chapter's pretty weighty, eh? The real action starts soon, so watch me justify the weight!**

 **Also, I want to mention that Ms. Campbell from Chapter 1 is still the only character in the fic that doesn't come from any Zelda game. She's actually based off of a horrible teacher that I had in the eighth grade, by a similar name. Everyone else is a character from Zelda though, and I'll do my best to reveal their full names smoothly.**

 **That's it for me now, stay tuned and don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7: Devastating

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **I have some bad news guys. I'm gonna have to stop the Sunday updates because I'm still unexpectedly short on time. Lately, I've been juggling grades, games, and girls, plus a design competition and this. There's only twenty-four hours in a day, and I need my sleep, so I unfortunately have to slow this down. It's better than half-assing everything at least.**

 **So to sum up, and hopefully grab the attention of anyone who doesn't read these notes: THERE WILL BE NO MORE SUNDAY UPDATES! (at least until the end of the month)**

 **With that done, let's get on to the story.**

* * *

"So what do you already know how to do?" I asked Zelda. We stood in the gym, with a bunch of hay bales and practice dummies that Darunia had set up for us. We each held a wooden practice sword and a shield.

"Well, I know the basics: the slashes, thrusts, blocks, and parries that we use for fencing. I also know the Spin Attack, like you used to defend against me, and the Back Slice that I used on you," she answered.

"That's a pretty impressive list," I commented. "But if you want to learn the Helm Splitter, you have to know a couple of other things first. Number one: the Ending Blow."

Zelda made a face. "Ending Blow? That sounds...gruesome."

"I haven't found much use for it yet," I clarified. "I've used it to spear rabbits that I couldn't shoot with a bow, but that's about it. Anyways, enemies that are filled with energy will quickly recover and attack again even when stunned by a powerful strike. The Ending Blow is a secret technique you can use to end their breath before they spring back into action." I did a high jump and speared a hay bale as a demonstration. "You try it."

Zelda grimaced. "Alright, if you say so..." She copied my actions exactly, piercing her own hay bale with the wooden sword.

"Alright, it's not exactly the most useful technique, but the actions are similar to the Helm Splitter's. It's still good to know, just in case you meet a life-or-death situation." Zelda nodded in response. "Alright, let's move on. To make an opening for the Helm Splitter, you need to know another skill: the Shield Attack. No matter how well tempered a blade is, if a foe is clad in armor and bears a shield, the sword will do it no harm." I demonstrated it on one of the dummies. It wobbled satisfyingly.

Zelda copied my demonstration, eliciting a similar wobble from the dummy. "Good," I said. "Remember, the Shield Attack does no damage on its own, so you have to follow it up with another attack. Next up, the Helm Splitter." Zelda squeaked in delight.

"It is impossible to perform a Back Slice against fully armored enemies that move swiftly in combat. This is the time for the Helm Splitter. The Helm Splitter is only usable against a vulnerable opponent, such as after a Shield Attack or while they are recovering from their own attack," I explained. I used a Shield Attack on a dummy, followed by a Helm Splitter. This caused the dummy to topple over.

Again, Zelda copied my demonstration perfectly. "That's so cool!" she squealed.

I checked the time. "You're a natural, Zelda. At this rate, I'll have enough time to teach you everything else I know. You up for it?" She nodded.

"Okay, the next skill is the Jump Strike. One of the basic sword techniques is the Jump Attack. It inflicts great damage, but none would call it effective against multiple foes. To perform the Jump Strike, prepare a Jump Attack, but focus power in your blade. The surge the blade releases can strike all enemies around you. This is the Jump Strike!" I demonstrated, causing the two dummies closest to me to wobble slightly.

This time, Zelda looked confused. "What power?" she asked.

"I don't know exactly," I replied sheepishly. "I'll call it magic, I guess."

"Magic? Okay, then." Zelda made a face of intense concentration, then executed a Jump Strike. It was wider than I expected it to be, and I felt the shockwave a little bit.

"Wow, Zelda! That was great!" Zelda smiled in response. "Ready to move on?" she nodded. "The next skill is the Great Spin. You have at your disposal the basic sword technique known as the Spin Attack. You have mastered numerous hidden skills and now house the spirit of a true hero. You now have in you the ability to magnify the power of your Spin Attack. Now, try unleashing this Spin Attack." I demonstrated the Great Spin, knocking over two of the wooden dummies.

"That's the same magic energy as last time?" asked Zelda. I nodded. She made her cute concentrated face again, and unleashed the biggest Spin Attack I had ever seen. She knocked over four dummies, and me. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" She looked alarmed.

"Of course," I reassured her. "It's just a wooden sword. Say, do have any background in magic? Your magical attacks are stronger than anything I've ever seen."

Zelda nodded. "I can light fires, teleport, and protect myself in a force field. I don't use it much though."

"That's pretty cool. Do you think you could teach me sometime?"

"Sure," she replied. "Is there anything else you can do with the sword?"

"There is one thing left," I replied mysteriously. "Come at me." I drew my sword and shield, squaring off against her. She held her weapon cautiously, knowing my experience. Then, I flipped backwards and sheathed my sword and shield, leaving myself vulnerable. Zelda wasted only a fraction of a second before charging me. I smirked. I waited. I drew my sword and did a vicious spin towards her. Zelda shrieked, throwing her arms up to protect herself and dropping her weapon.

I smiled. My sword was an inch away from her neck. It would have easily beheaded a less attractive foe. I tapped her neck gently with the side of the blade. "Bam. You're dead."

"LINK!" she screamed. "Don't scare me like that! What was that?"

I smiled mischievously. "The ways of the sword are known to many creatures, and some have strengthened their guards against Shield Attacks and Back Slices. Should you encounter such a foe, the Mortal Draw that I am about to teach you is most effective. There is no defense for this. The Mortal Draw deals death." I demonstrated against a dummy, creeping closer to it as a representation of its approach. "You must sheath your sword, and cast aside the most basic sword skills. Then when the opportunity arises, you must strike hard and fast." I used the Mortal Draw and sliced clean through one of the dummies. With a wooden practice sword. "There is no defense for this. The Mortal Draw deals death."

Zelda grimaced. "That's...devastating," she commented. "Like this?" She tried it on one of the dummies, but her sword bounced off, causing it to fly out of her hands. She yelped. "How'd you do that?"

I smiled. "It comes with practice. It doesn't have that much use though. It's only meant for when you're truly desperate and run out of other options."

"Well, I'm gonna stay here and practice for a bit longer. Don't you have to go meet you sister?"

I looked at the clock. She was right. "Right. Do you need me to help you clean up?"

She shook her head. "Nah, I'm sure Darunia will help if I ask. Just go meet your sister for some family time, 'kay?"

I nodded and returned my practice equipment. "See ya, Zelda!"

"Bye, Link!" I ran off, headed for the garden.

* * *

As I walked into the garden, Aryll skipped up to me with a bouquet of flowers in her hand.

"'Hoy, Big Brother!" she greeted me. "I got you these for a special someone!"

I rolled my eyes. "I swear to Farore, Aryll. If the entire point of this meeting is to make fun of me, then I'll-"

"Nonono, Big Brother! I just want to help," replied Aryll. "You know, back home, you never had any friends, so how do you expect to get a girl on your own, after just a week of interacting with other Hylians?"

My stern expression faded. She was right. "I'm listening."

She continued. "Well, I thought that since I'm a girl, I'd give you a lesson on how to impress girls! Lesson one: give her a present!" She offered me the flowers again. I took them.

"Okay, what else do I do?"

"Well, if you share any common interests, then you have to spend as much time as possible doing those!" she replied cheerfully.

"Zelda and I share the same classes, and I taught her how to fight with a sword this afternoon," I mused. "We also play in the same band now, and we talk on our Gossip Stones at night sometimes."

"So you're friends with Zelda already?" I nodded. "Then ask her out already!"

"What? I can't do that!" I yelled.

"Why not?" questioned Aryll. "If you wait too long, you might be 'just friends' forever!"

I sighed. "Not yet. It hasn't even been a week yet. She'll think I'm a creep."

"Have you done anything to let her know you're interested?" I shook my head. "Give her a pet name or something."

I thought for a second. "Malon calls her 'Zel'," I thought out loud.

Aryll stuck out her tongue. "That's just shortening her name. It's like calling a Nicholas 'Nick'. You need something cuter. How about Z? Or Zellie?"

I thought for a moment. "Nah, I think I prefer just 'Zelda'. I might try out 'Zel' at some point though."

"Fine, do it your way," huffed Aryll. "I want to go hang out with Tetra, bye!"

Before I could stop her, she was gone. Ugh. I guess I'll go back to my room then. I still have my nightly writing session to do. As I was leaving, a mass of bright orange hair greeted my face.

"I found you!"

"Midna?" What was she doing here? Why did she want to find me? Oh, Din, did she hear my conversation with Aryll?

"Eee hee hee! You've got a crush on Zelda, don't you?" Oh no.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Everything. Eee hee!" This was really bad. Really really bad.

"Don't tell Zelda..." I pleaded.

Midna caressed my cheek. I shivered slightly. She smiled evilly. "Oh don't worry about that. In fact, I'm going to tell you my own secret. Eee hee."

I stared at her, dumbfounded. What was she up to? She leaned against my face, with her mouth an inch away from my ear. Her warm breath made me shiver again.

Then, she whispered, "Zelda has a boyfriend."

"WHAT?!"

"Eee hee hee! You didn't know? Zelda's dating Shiek! Just look at the stuff she posts online! Eee hee hee!"

No no no! It's not true! It can't be true!

"If you want a girlfriend so badly, I'm available. Eee hee hee!"

I don't want a girlfriend! I want Zelda! I pushed past Midna, using all my willpower not to scream and cry and punch a wall. I ran off to my room. As I entered the room, I heard a fain squeak. Rats? Like I could care right now. I opened my phone.

Midna told the truth.

Every single picture on Zelda's profile had two blondes: the blue-eyed beauty that was Zelda, and a red-eyed companion that had to be Shiek.

Every single one.

Tears blurred my vision, and I threw my phone as hard as I could. I heard it shatter against the wall. I didn't care that it was only three days old. I didn't care what it cost. All I cared about was Zelda. The only thing I cared about, I could never have.

I wiped my face against my pillow, but the tears wouldn't clear. How could I think that I could be anything different? I thought that I was a new person, different from when I left my home. I realize now that I can't change.

I'll always be a weird kid with no friends.

I'll always be alone.

* * *

 **A/N: There we go guys! I know this chapter might be really controversial, but I'll use the space below to address some of that:**

 **Firstly, this fic is LxZ Romance. I didn't file it here for no reason, so BY THE END, LINK AND ZELDA WILL BE TOGETHER! Don't riot.**

 **Secondly, I didn't like having to antagonize Midna, but she's the easiest character to do the reveal through because of her unique game personality. In real life, Midna is one of my favorite Zelda characters, and my all-time favorite travelling companion, so no hard feelings for her.**

 **Finally, I know the ending was a bit dark and left may have left some questions, but expect more of that. I plan to leave a lot of loose ends that tie together elegantly at the end.**

 **Okay, that's it for me, guys. Don't forget to review. Peace out.**


	8. Chapter 8: Broken Hearts

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **I'm gonna post early because I have less to do on Thursdays now, so here you go. I'll consider changing the update time to 5:00 pm ET.**

* * *

I sulked for the whole school day. I had my hood up for most of the day, except first period when Mr. Lumo wouldn't have it. I communicated in monosyllables, and I tried to avoid Zelda as best as possible. I didn't cry, but for the sole reason that I had already cried myself dry the night before.

And I plan to do it again.

I locked the door to my room and jumped into my bed, fully intending to cry myself to sleep at two in the afternoon. I took off my hoodie because I didn't need it to sulk when I had a blanket. Just as I was about to retreat to the safety of my covers for the rest of the day, I heard a knock at the door. I scowled, but I got up to get it anyway.

"Oh my Din, you look awful!" It was Zelda.

"Hello to you too," I replied sarcastically.

"Link..." she breathed. "What's wrong? You're not yourself."

"Nothing's wrong," I lied.

"Link." She spoke more firmly this time. "I care about you, so just let me stop worrying, alright?" Her tone softened again. "You...you trust me, right?"

"I-" My breath caught in my throat. "I want to, I really do. I just...don't know if I'm able to." It's because you didn't say you had a boyfriend. I held back a sob.

"I understand. After all that you've been through, you have reason not to trust other people. Just know that I'll be here for you whenever you want, and all you have to do is ask." This is why I'm so madly in love with this girl. Everything about her is perfect. She's smart, pretty, and has the biggest heart out of anybody I've ever seen. She cares for people; she cares for me. That's why I don't understand why she didn't tell me about Shiek.

"Thank you," I replied simply. Anything more would have caused me to burst into tears.

Zelda nodded silently and turned around to leave, but as she was heading out, she ran into a blond guy.

The newcomer grunted, apologizing under his breath. He then proceeded to kiss Zelda on the cheek. Shiek. My heart wrenched, and I looked away.

"Shiek, this is Link, your new roommate!" Zelda introduced me.

The blond extended his hand. "Hi, Link." Funny. His voice seemed oddly familiar. And also way to deep for his body. He was barely an inch taller than Zelda, and probably about her weight too, by the looks of it. But his voice was that of a giant among people, deeper than even Darmani's.

"Hi, Shiek," I echoed. I shook his hand.

"I'm gonna go take a walk in Castle Town," I said, wanting to avoid this situation.

"Cool, Shiek and I are going into town too," replied Zelda. Dang it.

So Zelda, Shiek and I walked to Castle Town together. I kept Zelda between Shiek and myself, since I already didn't like him because of the fact that he was Zelda's boyfriend, plus his attitude kind of freaked me out. Shiek barely talked on the entire walk, and when he did talk, it was never more than a couple of words. I broke off from the group as soon as we got into town. For a while, I just wandered aimlessly, kicking any stray pebbles or litter that I came across.

Eventually, I came across a single door in a dark cul-de-sac. The sign read:

 _Telma's Bar_

 _Heal your hearts and mend your soul. Minors welcome._

Hearts? Must've been a typo. As far as I know, people only have one heart. It seemed kind of weird, but I might as well try it right?

I entered the establishment, and was greeted by a surprisingly cozy room. The barkeep was a rather plump, dark woman with a lot of piercings.

"Hi, honey," she greeted. "I'm Telma, the owner of this joint. What would you have?"

A round, white cat hopped onto the counter as I approached it. I answered her question with one of my own. "What have you got?"

She slid a thin book across the counter. "Take your time, honey."

I began skimming over the book - a menu by the looks of it. The first few things were pretty mundane.

 _Water - An excellent treatment for thirst. 1 Rupee._

 _Hot Spring Water - Soothes the skin, relieves itching. 5 Rupees._

 _Red Potion - Soothes physical pain. 20 Rupees._

 _Green Potion - Heals mental fatigue. 10 Rupees._

 _Blue Potion - Powerful physical and mental healing properties. 40 Rupees._

"Do you have anything more powerful? I'm feeling really bad right now."

"Sure thing, honey," replied Telma. She flipped my menu to the last page.

 _Blue Chu Jelly - Powerful physical and mental healing properties. 40 Rupees._

 _Rare Chu Jelly - Relieves physical and mental stress, granting high energy and motivation. 70 Rupees._

 _Great Fairy's Tears - Relieves physical, mental, and spiritual pain. Heals broken hearts and shattered souls. 70 Rupees._

"Hmm, Great Fairy's Tears, huh? I'd like to heal a broken heart, please."

"Oh dear," commented the bartender. "You know, there's a kid over there who got the Great Fairy's Tears too. Poor thing. The drink's on the house if you go talk with him," she said as she poured my drink. I looked at a back table, where there was a young, blue-haired kid with the same purple drink as me. He was looking through a large book.

"Hey," I said as I approached his table. I took a swig of my drink. It burned my throat going down, but the pain in my heart subsided. Hmm. I guess it does work.

"Hey," he replied, looking up from his book. He had aqua green eyes, and wore a single large earring on his left ear. "I'm Ralis."

"Link," I replied. "What are you here for?" I asked, gesturing at his drink.

"Mom died," he replied bluntly. "I've been reading through Hyrule's history. Say's there's a Sacred Realm where people go after they die. It gives me hope I might get to see her again. What about you?"

"I fell in love with my best friend, but it turns out she has a boyfriend." Damn, his problem seemed so much worse than mine. I felt bad for getting the Great Fairy's Tears. "Y'know, I've got no parents either. I've been all alone for the past few years. Besides my sister."

Ralis looked up from his book, granting me his full attention. "Wow, really? Jeez, your life sucks too then."

I smirked despite myself. "Well, I'm in Castle Town Academy, and everyone in my family left me something to remember them by, so it's not all bad." I took another swig from my drink. Ralis mirrored this.

"I guess. This earring was my mom's." He gestured at his left ear. "She still wears the other one, I think."

"That's cool. I have a pen from my mom, an ocarina from my dad, and a soup recipe from my grandma. I'm pretty sure my dad's ocarina is _the_ ocarina too."

Ralis's eyes widened at this. "The Ocarina of Time? But that would mean you're of the blood of the Hero!"

"Spirit of the Hero," I corrected. "And that would be really bad. Ever heard of the sacred Triforce?"

Ralis nodded. "It was the embodiment of the goddesses themselves; Din's Power, Nayru's Wisdom, and Farore's Courage."

"Good. So in Hyrule's history, there have been multiple incarnations of three people: the Blood of the Goddess, the Spirit of the Hero, and the Incarnation of Hatred. In the era of the Hero of Time, the Incarnation of Hatred attempted to steal the Triforce, but his heart was not balanced. He kept for himself the Triforce of Power, and the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage were given to the Princess and the Hero."

Ralis tilted his head in confusion. "But the Hero defeated the King of Evil, and peace was restored to the land."

I shook my head. "The King of Evil can't be killed, only sealed away. That's why I bear the mark of the Triforce of Courage. I know who Power is, and I have a strong feeling about who Wisdom is."

"That's horrible!" cried Ralis. "That means Hyrule will have another period of darkness!" I nodded. "Like life can get any worse!"

"Yeah, and I'm the one who's supposed to stop it. The fate of the world rests in my hands. Ugh."

"Good luck, Link." Ralis finished his drink. "Well, I should get back to the academy. See you around?"

"See you around," I affirmed. I sat there in silence after Ralis left, slowly chipping away at my drink. It burned my mouth and my throat, but it felt warm and comforting when I got it down. After I finished, I thanked Telma and made my way back to the academy.

On the way back, somebody stopped me. Out of reflex, I whirled around and drew my sword to face the guy. He was wearing a giant backpack covered in masks, and it took me a while to recognize him.

"Mr. Masq?" I sheathed my sword. "Why are you out here?"

"I sell masks at night," he replied. "So, what's the matter, Link?"

"Nothing, I'm just taking a walk," I lied.

"Don't hide it, Link. I can see right through your mask." I shivered. Mr. Masq still freaked me out sometimes.

"Don't tell anyone then." The teacher nodded emphatically. I breathed deeply. "I...I like Zelda, but she's dating Shiek."

"HA! That's it? Here, take this then. It's the Couple's Mask, a gift from teacher to student." He handed me a misty, white mask with symbols etched through it. "You should get going, Link! It's getting late!" He slapped my back and laughed again.

"Thanks, Mr. Masq..." He didn't help. I slipped the mask under my coat and finished the walk back to my dorm.

When I got to my room, Shiek was already there, fast asleep under his covers. Holding back a grunt of contempt, I threw the mask under my bed. I didn't know what it was for. I slid out my Quest Log, which was now the resting place for my Gossip Stone.

"Unlock."

I picked up the Gossip Stone and tapped it lightly.

"BOINNG! BOINNG! The current time is 00:54."

Oh. It was really late. Whoops. I opened my Quest Log and forced myself to write, covering all that I could that I hadn't already covered.

 _So Zelda has a boyfriend. This sucks._

 _I pretty much wasted all of yesterday night crying, and I sulked for the entire day today. There's really nothing interesting that happened, besides that._

 _I did go to a healing bar though. I had "Great Fairy's Tears", which supposedly heal broken hearts. It did work for a bit, but I'm already feeling the heartache coming back. I met this kid, Ralis, who lost his mom. He's surprisingly friendly for someone who had to go through that. We talked for a bit, and it made me realize just how much weight my whole fate thing holds. Worse is that I'm 99% sure that Zelda's Wisdom. Which means that she's going to get dragged into this whole fiasco. If I can do nothing else, I hope I can at least protect her. Even if she doesn't like me like that._

I sighed, closing my Quest Log and returning the Gossip Stone to its place on top of it. "Lock," I commanded, before sliding my Log back under the bed.

I went to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go, folks. A bit of a depressing chapter again, but there'll be action soon enough.**

 **Don't forget to review, and stay tuned for next week's chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9: Companion

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **Again, sorry for the short chapter. Now is a bit of an awkward, between-action area, and I need to set up for the action without starting it, plus I've been busy with school and other stuff, hence the short chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it anyways though!**

* * *

I avoided Zelda as much as I could. I'd still talk to her if we were in a group, and we would occasionally talk over our Gossip Stones, but I'd never mention Shiek, and I'd disappear whenever she was with him. This went on for days. It broke my heart to do it, but it was the only way I knew how to cope. To be alone, like I've always been.

I was doing just that one afternoon, sitting under a tree, ripping out grass and breaking twigs, when Mikau approached me.

"Hey, man, what's up," he greeted.

"Nothing much," I replied, snapping a large twig and throwing the pieces, one by one, into a nearby bush.

"No, seriously, dude. What's wrong?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I replied, flinging a piece of wood at him. He swatted it away.

"Link," he said firmly. "You came back to the rooms at like 1 am on Saturday. You were half an hour late to the party on Sunday. You just missed fencing club. Something's up, Link."

I stared at him blankly. "It's Tuesday?" I haven't been keeping track of time at all. I think I only wrote two entries in the Quest Log. Ugh.

Mikau squeezed the bridge of his nose and turned away from me, looking extremely annoyed. He spoke forcefully when he turned back.

"Yes, it's Tuesday." His voice softened. "Link, what happened to you? What happened to the bright, cheerful, talented Link that came here nine days ago? What happened to our swordsman, our musician, our friend? What happened to the Spirit of the Hero?"

My heart wrenched. He was right. I was wasting myself. I hung out with my friends half as much as I did, and even then I was sulky and irritable.

"Fine," I conceded. "I don't think I want this whole legend thing to be true. I mean, not only would it be putting my life, hell, the life of everyone in Hyrule, at risk, it also means that something bad might happen to Zelda. She said she's of the Royal bloodline, which means that she's the one with the Blood of the Goddess."

"Zelda?" Mikau eyed me suspiciously. "Why Zelda specifically?"

Shoot. I done messed up. Whoops.

"I uh-" I scrambled for words, wondering whether or not it was okay to tell Mikau. Unable to think of an excuse, I decided to spill. "Well, the legends say that every incarnation of the Spirit of the Hero fell in love with the incarnation of the Blood of the Goddess. I guess you could say I'm no different. I mean, I can't help it. She's the only girl that actually cares about me as a person. I'm pretty sure Ruto and Midna both have a thing for me, but Ruto does nothing but ask me out, and Midna didn't hesitate to trample all over my emotions to try to get to me. She was the one who told me about Zelda and Shiek."

"Ouch, dude. That must suck. Don't worry, I won't spill. But you know, Zelda's usually pretty quiet and reserved. I was actually surprised when she became such good friends with you so quick."

"Really?" I felt a spark of hope. "Maybe she's interested then?"

"Hard to say for sure," replied Mikau, making a face. "The signs are there, but she also has Shiek. The only way to know for sure would be to ask Malon, and she'd spill for sure."

I sighed. Of course. Everything had to be a puzzle.

"That reminds me, Shiek hasn't been himself lately either. I mean, he asked out a girl, and that's far and away from what he's usually like," mused Mikau.

"So you think something's up, then?"

"Yeah, for sure. I mean, tons of stuff's been going weird lately. Lulu says she lost her voice earlier this week, Rauru's been repeating even though he hates doing it, and Nabooru's apparently stuck in Clock Town. If I didn't know better, I'd say there's Poes."

I grunted. "It might have something to do with this whole age of darkness thing, the one that's supposed to happen every time the Hero is incarnated. I'll look into it," I assured him. "Anyways, it's getting late, so we should head back."

At this, Mikau nodded, and we made are ways back to our rooms, parting ways at mine.

"See you."

"Bye, Link."

I was greeted by my empty room. Shiek was nowhere to be found. I decided to take advantage of this to write in my Quest Log.

 _Mikau said that weird stuff has been happening. Apparently, Zelda dating Shiek is among that weird stuff, so at least I have a chance with her. But that brings me back to my problem of how to deal with this whole Hero thing. I mean, I care about Zelda and I don't want anything to happen to her, but there's nothing I can do at this point._

 _All I can do is keep going, I guess._

"Master Link."

Hmm?

"Master Link."

"Who's there?"

"Master Link, I have been waiting for you. You will play a role in a great destiny. According to your social customs, I should provide you with my personal designation. Fi is the name I was given. I was created for a single purpose, long before the recorded memory of your people. I must aid you in fulfilling the great destiny that is your burden to carry." The voice was coming from my pen.

"Am I going crazy?"

"I have detected significant ability for standard human interaction within your daily narratives. You have demonstrated the ability to feel love, pain, and guilt. I calculate a 3% chance that you are going crazy," Fi reported.

"How can you talk out of my pen?"

"I was sent by my creator to aid you in your journey. My spirit resides within the legendary Blade of Evil's Bane, the Master Sword. Embedded in this pen is a jewel from the hilt of that blade. As such, the pen possesses enough power for me to project my voice through it, but not enough for me to manifest physically. I can also detect anything that you write with this pen, so there is no need to tell me about past events."

So she knows everything about me. That's both convenient and weird at the same time. More convenient, I guess, since she's supposed to be my travel guide or whatever. "Great, so how are you supposed to help me?"

"I strongly suggest that you keep me on your person at all times from now on. I have valuable information to offer. I have seen the journeys of every Hero since the beginning of the Heroes. In every instance, chaos ensued when the bearer of the Triforce of Power, named Ganondorf, awakened this power. I calculate a 98% chance that the current incarnation of Ganondorf has also played a role in recent chaos. I can also offer an analysis on any enemies you may encounter during your travels."

"Okay sure, just say when you need to tell me something then."

"Master Link, I am detecting faint sounds coming from under your bed. I calculate a 77% chance that it is Zelda attempting to contact you through her Gossip Stone."

She was right. I thanked her and put the pen in my shirt pocket. Then, I put my hand on the Gossip Stone.

I was greeted immediately with a very loud shout from Zelda. "LINK! Come over to my room right now! It's an emergency!"

"On my way," I replied. I put away my stuff and ran out the door.

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go, guys! Every Link needs a companion, and I decided to pick Fi because it's modern and Fairies would be hard to do. Also, since the pen is modeled after the Master Sword, I thought it would be perfect to make Fi reside partially in the pen.**

 **Alright, that's it for me, drop me a review and stay tuned!**


	10. Chapter 10: Game Over?

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **Okay, guys. Prepare yourselves. This is one of, if not _the_ best chapter I've ever written. It's also the BIGGEST plot development yet. So hold on to your butts, get a comfortable spot, and read only if you're absolutely sure you're ready.**

 **You have been warned. Let's get on to the chapter ^_^**

* * *

When I got to Zelda's room, the door was ajar. I let myself in, and was greeted by a gathering in the middle of the room. I recognized most of the people there: Mikau, Pipit, Midna, and Zelda were there, along with Headmaster Gaepora, Darunia and Impa, plus a guy and a girl I didn't know.

"Link! You're here!" Zelda greeted.

"Yeah," I affirmed. "What's this for?"

"Well, Castle Town was attacked by an army of unidentified creatures. Darmani, Malon, Lulu and Shiek are among those that were in the Town at the time. We haven't been able to make contact with any of the students in Castle Town since the attack. We've also lost contact with many civilians," explained the Headmaster.

"I calculate a 97% chance that these creatures are the shadow creatures of Ganondorf's doing," developed Fi, quietly enough that nobody else heard.

"The creatures were last seen leaving from Castle Town's West Gate, which is the furthest one from here," Gaepora continued. "There was no reported bloodshed in the Town, which suggests that everybody who is unaccounted for has been captured by the army, but is still alive. Unfortunately, the West Gate is too far away from here to make the journey in a reasonable time frame."

"I can go," Zelda blurted.

"Out of the question!" boomed Gaepora. "You are the only person here who has the power of such fast transportation. It would be beyond foolish for you to go alone. I will not risk the life of my daughter on such a mission."

"I'm strong enough to take somebody with me. I won't go alone," countered Zelda.

The Headmaster agreed reluctantly. "Fine, take Instructor Megaton with you. He is experienced in weapons and will protect you."

"Are ya kiddin' me?" cried Darunia. "If ya want a swordsman, take Link here! He beat me on 'is first try!"

"Yeah, he can cut a dummy in half with a _practice sword_!" Zelda bragged on my behalf.

At this point, I was glad I kept my sword and shield on my back.

"That settles it," Gaepora affirmed. "Get Link a good sword from the storage room. Link, Zelda, you leave as soon as possible."

We nodded in unison, and ran out the door with Darunia in tow.

When we got to the storage room Darunia took down a rack of various swords. I unsheathed my own to compare it with them. I hadn't noticed, but my sword had dulled, no longer able to cut the air with as satisfying a noise. I ran my finger along the blade lightly, and felt no pain at all. As expected from a cheap alleyway deal, I guess.

"You've got a mighty fine shield, Link," commented Darunia, "but that sword could use some sharpening. We don't have time for that now, though, so take one from here instead."

I thanked him and gave him my weapon, picking up a different one of the same length and weight. It was a simple thing with an plain golden hilt and a razor sharp blade. I gave it a test swing, and was satisfied with my choice.

"Ready to go, Link?" asked Zelda. I nodded, sheathing my new sword. "Hold on to me tight, okay?"

Zelda wrapped her arms around my waist, while I draped mine over her shoulders. We both squeezed each other.

"Get ready, it's a bit disorienting," warned Zelda. "Close your eyes, it helps with the motion sickness," she advised.

I obeyed, and felt a gust of wind. The wind felt like it wrapped around us, then I felt like I was standing on it, then riding on it. In no time at all, my feet met the ground again. I opened my eyes. We were standing in the middle of a huge field, with a horde of blueish, goblin-looking things approaching us. In the middle of the group was a crude-looking cage carried by four giant things.

"The civilians," I breathed.

"Master Link, these enemies are Bokoblins. These monsters have plagued the land since ancient times. They each play different roles, and their weaponry varies. They prefer to act in groups. None of them are intelligent by any definition of the word. Curiously, they seem to have a mysterious obsession with fashionable undergarments," Fi informed me.

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"That's Fi, a sword spirit that resides in the gem on this pen," I answered.

"Oh." Zelda smiled at me. "Ready?"

"You bet."

I charged the army, catching them with a surprise Mortal Draw. I cut down a good five or six of them with the one strike. Pushovers. The closest ones to me noticed me do this, and charged at me with a battle cry. The noise quickly rose to an ear-splitting uproar as row upon row of these Bokoblins followed their comrades into battle. And row by row, they bit the dust as I unleashed my arsenal of sword techniques, my blade becoming a silver flurry. From behind me, Zelda threw exploding fireballs to support me. Together we fought, mage and warrior, toward our captive friends at the center.

When we reached the center, the four giant Bokoblins were ready for battle, carrying massive swords and spears.

"These Moblins have sturdy iron shields. Only a few Moblins are capable of carrying a large, heavy shield of iron like this one," Fi informed.

While I was listening to Fi's comment, one of the Moblins was charging a spear blow. I was only notified when Zelda shouted my name in warning. I tried to dodge, but in my haste, I tripped over the rubble that I had created on my way in. I raised my shield, bracing for impact.

...And nothing happened.

Confused, I looked up to see Zelda with her arms spread out and a look of intense concentration on her face. She had erected some sort of crystal-shaped barrier to protect us.

"L-Link...cover me..." she managed.

I sprang into action, focusing on executing the most powerful Spin Attack I knew - the Hurricane Spin. I charged my attack, and released it, spinning multiple times, knocking away all the enemies in a circular path around Zelda. I made my way back to Zelda, dizzy and trusting that what she wanted to do would be enough for me to recover.

It was more than enough. She raised her left hand toward the sky, then thrust it down to the ground. A giant fireball erupted from the spot where her hand met the ground. It expanded outwards, incinerating everything evil around us. Exhausted, she fell to the ground. I resisted the urge to help her up, instead unlocking the cage. I realized that I didn't have instructions on where to tell everyone to go.

"Get back to Castle Town as quickly as you can. You'll get more instructions there," I commanded, hoping the second part was true.

Then, something hit me over the head. My vision went white from the searing pain, and I swung my sword in the direction of the impact. I was rewarded by the familiar sound of a Bokoblin screaming. I shook my head to clear my vision, and looked up to see Zelda being carried off by a pair of Bokoblins.

No, no, no, no, no! Not Zelda! She's the girl I love, and she's the bearer of the Triforce of Wisdom! That's double the reason I can't lose her.

I fought the pain and ran after the retreating Bokoblins. No matter how hard I screamed or how fast I ran, they wouldn't turn around to face me. They had claimed their prize. My vision swam, and my quickening pulse matched the throbbing of my head.

"Master Link, you have lost a significant amount of blood. I suggest you find shelter. I calculate a 92% chance that you will lose consciousness within the next-"

And I blacked out.

When I came to, it was already dark. The pain in my head was gone, but the pain of losing Zelda wasn't. Even worse was weight of my spirit, the Spirit of the Hero. I had surrendered the Triforce of Wisdom to the Dark Lord. I had given him the only thing the raid was for. I had taken the bait. I had failed.

What kind of Hero am I?

I kicked the dirt angrily. I shouted out to the sky, "Now are you happy? You've chosen a failure as your Hero! You've chosen a weak, emotional, socially awkward failure as you Hero!" I looked down at the puddle of blood and sweat on the ground, and added tears to the mix.

"Master Link, I strongly suggest-"

"I don't care."

"I calculate a 99% chance that-"

"Shut up."

"Master Link, the information I am about to give you is-"

"SHUT UP!"

After a long pause, Fi replied, "As you wish, Master Link."

I sat down, putting my face in my hands. How am I going to protect the Triforce now? Ganondorf has two pieces, and I have one. I don't even have the Blade of Evil's Bane. I can't do anything. I can only hide.

Hide.

That's it! I ran off into the depths of Hyrule Field, seeing my destination in my mind's eye.

The Bridge of Eldin.

I sighed. I had lost the Triforce of Wisdom and my one true love. I've lost the final battle before it even began. I don't have anything I need to be the Hero. All I can do is bury the Triforce of Courage somewhere Ganondorf will never find it. At the bottom of Eldin Gorge. I tapped the back of my hand, letting the golden mark of the Triforce shine. I shook my head.

"You've chosen wrong."

I climbed up onto the stone wall of the bridge, looking down at the bottomless abyss before me. I took a deep breath, and let my last tears flow.

Three.

"I'm sorry, Hyrule."

Two.

"I'm sorry, Zelda."

One.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, no! What have we got here? As far as you can tell, Zelda is done for, Link is done for, and Ganondorf has pretty much won.**

 **The suspense is killing me! xD**

 **Just as a clarification, Link is _technically_ one second away from a Game Over. As the author, I'm going to make that one second the longest one second of your lives! Mwahahahaha!**

 **Don't forget to drop a review for your new evil overlord! Or else...**

 **Just kidding, I'm not really evil ^_^**


	11. Chapter 11: Another New Day

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **I have family over right now, so I might be a bit inactive in terms of PMs, reviews, etc. I'll still try my best to upload every Thursday afternoon, but no guarantees. If I do miss a week, I'll try to do the upload on the Wednesday before if I can, or the Friday or Saturday if I have to. Hope for the best, but expect the worst. And even though I'm busy, I'll _try_ to get an extra chapter up between now and next month, since an important event is still hanging in the air.**

 **IMPORTANT: The next few chapters are from Zelda's perspective. That's right, Link is still sitting on his one second. And you'll never (and by never, I mean not within the next three to four weeks) know how it ends HA!**

 **Also READ CAREFULLY! I'm writing this story on the same premise that I play Zelda on: If it's there, it's there for a reason. Some of the stuff will be minor details, but especially in this next section, there'll be little stuff - Easter eggs if you will - that'll make you smile if you notice them.**

* * *

I frowned at my locker. I had stuck foam letters on the inside of the door, spelling out ELDA. I was just missing the Z in front to spell out my name, but it was nowhere to be seen. On top of that, they only give you one in each pack of these stickers, since the letter's so rare, so I'll have to get another pack just to finish my name. Ugh.

Just then, I noticed someone approaching. When he stopped beside me, I turned to face him.

I immediately felt a warmth on the tips of my ears, and I was thankful for my long hair. Goddesses, he was hot.

"Oh, hi! I haven't seen you around before. I'm Zelda." I reached out with my left hand as naturally as I could. "Zelda Harkinian."

"I'm Link." he shook my left hand with his own. "Link Forester." I grinned.

I couldn't help myself. He shook my left hand without hesitating, he had already cracked a joke, and he had the most intoxicating smell of freshly cut grass.

"I'm trying to spell my name on my locker," I offered, trying to make conversation. "But they only give you one Z in every pack of these stickers. And I lost it! Can you believe it?" I tried to avert my gaze from him. "I'm gonna have to get a whole new pack of these just because I lost the Z!"

Then, my gaze met his. He had wonderful blue eyes. I melted on the inside.

Wait, this is supposed to be weird. Um, just act natural, Zelda. "Uhh, Link? Is there something wrong?" I asked, hoping to make the situation as normal as possible.

"There's...uh...a Z on your face," he answered awkwardly.

"OH! My Z!" Now you've done it, Zelda. He thinks you're stupid for sure. I felt a blush creeping up my face. "Thank you SO much!" I cried emphatically.

Then, I hugged him to hide my blush. Which only caused me to go redder than 20 Rupees. Now you've done it, Zelda.

"I...uh...have to get back to my dorm," he said without looking at me.

That's disappointing. I tried to get him to say a bit longer. "Don't you still h-"

"IstillneedtounpackcanttalkBYEEEE!" he ran down the hall. Dang it. He thinks I'm weird for sure. Good going, Zelda. Now you'll have to deal with this awkwardness every day. I sighed and followed Link down the hall towards the dorms.

When I got back to my room, Malon was lying on her bed, reading a copy of _Hyrule Historia_.

"Funny," I teased. "You've never been the studious type."

She frowned. "I have Rauru for history this year, he's really scary."

"I've got him for Modern Hylian."

"Consider yourself lucky, I've got him for both," she grumbled. "Say, where were you today? You're usually the one to stay in studying."

"Well I went over to Castle Town to get some stuff to decorate my locker with, and I got held up there because there was a fight; cops got involved and everything," I began. "And while I was decorating my locker, the new kid showed up."

"New kid, huh? What's he like?"

"Well, his name is Link Forester, he's about a head taller than me, he's got blue eyes and off-blond hair," I said, closing my eyes and imagining Link in my mind's eye. I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks, so I jumped onto my bed and lay down before continuing. "He was wearing a green tunic and hat, he smelled like cut grass, he was really funny and nice, he-"

"Zelda."

"Hmm?"

"Your face is redder than my hair right now." I felt Malon's breath on my face.

I screamed and sat up, ready to yell at Malon. Instead, I banged my head against her's really, really hard. Oops.

"Owwww, Malon, don't scare me like that!"

Malon was sitting on the floor rubbing her forehead, half laughing and half crying. "Sounds like you're really into this Link." My eyes widened. I had gotten carried away. Malon grinned evilly. "Can I have Shiek then?"

"WHAT?" I sputtered. "I've known Link for like fifteen minutes! I can't expect to go out with him already!"

"HA, so you do like him! Wait 'til Lulu hears about this!"

"Malon, I..." I squeezed the bridge of my nose. "I don't want to deal with you right now."

So I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I undid my hair ties and replaced them with a simple ponytail, then I flopped onto the bed. After enduring some more of Malon's teasing, I managed to get to bed.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to more of Malon's teasing. I tried to ignore her as best as I could, getting ready like I usually would. Nothing I did could get her to lay off. Ugh. Me and my big mouth.

We got to class five minutes early, and took our usual places. I was glad there was currently nobody sitting in the desk to the right of mine. Hopefully, that would be Link's spot.

When Link walked in, I flagged him down, motioning at the empty desk. He took the offer. Thank the Goddesses. Now I know he doesn't think I'm weird.

"Hey, Link, how's it been?" I greeted him.

"Oh, so that's Link? I see why you'd like him so much. He's just your type," teased Malon.

Oh my Din. Shut up, Malon. Not here, in front of Link.

"I'd be happy to take Shiek off your hands. In fact, we should let Link know right now. Hey Zel, you wouldn't mind if I spoke up a bit, would you?"

Nononono! Don't do it! "MALON LON, IF YOU DON'T STOP THAT RIGHT THIS INSTANT I WILL PERSONALLY-"

Shoot, there's Rauru. Better be quiet now. I glared at Malon, who smiled obnoxiously. I turned my head to Rauru.

"Greetings, class. Seeing as we have a new student, I am going to introduce myself. I am Mr. Lumo, and I am your teacher for Modern Hylian."

I had to pinch myself to avoid falling asleep right then and there. Rauru was SO boring. Nevertheless, I vigilantly took note of everything he said on my page, periodically spilling some water from my waterbottle on my face to keep myself awake. By the end of the period, my page was both neatly filled and slightly soggy. I got up as soon as the bell rang, glancing over at Link's page. His was mostly blank. Its contents consisted of a few random doodles and a decent picture of...me?

I decided it would be normal to compliment his work. "Hey, that's pretty good. Do you have art? It'd be a waste if you didn't."

Without saying anything, Link gave me his schedule. Rather, he gave me _my_ schedule.

"Whoa, you have the exact same schedule as me!" I grinned stupidly. "That means I can show you around!" I took this as an excuse to grab his hand and drag him around. I avoided looking at him because my face felt really, really warm.

When we got to our next class, I invited Link to take the seat next to me. To my excitement, he obliged. Lulu came and took the other spot next to me. I greeted her and introduced Link. After she claimed her spot, she motioned for me to listen, cupping her mouth to my ear.

"Word says you're into him?" I cringed. _Malon!_

I nodded indiscreetly, then returned my attention to Link. He was talking to a blue-haired girl who seemed a bit on edge.

The bluenette spoke hesitantly. "Do you wanna, like, um, hang out after school?"

 _Link, don't you dare!_

"No. I, uh, have to go meet with my sister after school," replied Link. I almost whooped out loud. "Then, um, Zelda's gonna show me around." He looked at me for confirmation. I nodded excitedly.

"Oh, okay...how about tomorrow?" persisted the girl.

"Can't. Da- uh, Mr. Megaton wants me to go to fencing club," he answered. I'll be there too! Oh man, I can't wait to show off to Link!

"Then Wednesday?"

"I'm meeting over at Mikau's to try out for their band," he countered for the third time. _And_ the band? My inner self was singing and dancing on a table. It took all my self-control to prevent my outer self from doing the same.

I took a deep breath and tapped Link on the shoulder to ask, as calmly as I could, "Mikau wants you to play for us?"

"Yeah, he apparently wants the stage to be symmetrical. Why?"

"I'm the harpist and Lulu's our singer," I replied excitedly. Then, the bell rang.

Our teacher was Impa. She's chill, so this class will be fun. I know she likes me, so I can relax a bit more than usual.

Impa let us talk about our summers for the entire period. I talked mostly to Link. I learned that he plays the ocarina, that he was a huge nerd in the past, and that he was a bit of an outcast. I can't imagine why. I mean, he's smart, talented, fit. And he's _hot_. I'm sure a few girls would love to hang out with him.

After math class, we went and got lunch. The menu today was pretty lackluster. The best thing there was the veggie burger. From experience, the veggie burger is _way_ better than the beef patty. I don't even know how you screw up a beef patty. Seems kinda sketchy to me.

After we sat down, I introduced Link to everyone. He decided to go and get to know the guys, so I took the opportunity to make it absolutely clear to the girls that he was mine. Malon called dibs on Shiek, so all I have to do is break up with Shiek. Simple enough, right?

As I was leading Link to art class, he was listing off everyone's names. "So we've got Malon and Lulu, then Saria, Midna and Karane, then Pipit, Mikau, and Darmani."

"Yep! And Shiek," I added.

"My roommate," he offered. "Out of the country at the moment."

Huh? "He said he was in Kakariko when he texted me." That's a bit suspicious. Why would he lie? "Speaking of which, mind if I get your phone number?" _Yes! That was so smooth!_

Link looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.

I frowned. "You do have a phone, don't you?"

"I never had a reason to get one. The only person I'd ever have to call is Aryll, and then I'd have to buy her one too," he replied.

"Then we'll have to get you one tonight!" I chirped.

We walked into Mr. Masq's art room while he was painting. It seems like nobody took art, like usual. The teacher did his usual weird teleporting thing. He kind of creeps me out. One time, he lost "an important mask", then claimed the moon was going to fall and the only way to stop it was to get the mask back. Weird that.

Mr. Masq let us do whatever we wanted since we were such a small class. Link and I decided to paint each other. I guess Mr. Masq's habits got to Link, because he spilled his paint water at one point.

We had Phys. Ed with Darunia next. Darmani was pretty surprised that Link had already gotten the right to call Darunia by his first name. Apparently Link had beaten him in a fencing match.

"Fencing? I want to see you fence!" I shouted. "I'll be there tomorrow, you can count on it!" I smiled to myself. He'll be surprised that _I'm_ the champion.

In the gym, I showed off to Link as much as I could. He was actually pretty clumsy with the ball. It was cute.

After school, Link went back to his room to get ready for the trip to Castle Town. I already had all my stuff, so I went over to find Tetra. I found her skipping towards me.

"Hey, sis!" she chirped. "The new kid is so cool! She's my new best friend!"

"Aryll, right?" I asked. Tetra nodded in response. Perfect. "Could you do me a favor? Go ask Aryll to meet her brother in the garden." I stopped to think of a time. "Thursday at 5:30."

"Why?" questioned Tetra.

"Just do it. I have to do something, and he can't be there."

"Why can't he be there? Isn't he your new best friend?" I hesitated. Tetra picked up on this. "OHHHH, Zelda has a secret!" She started to skip around me, giggling.

I rolled my eyes. "Leave me alone, OK? I-I have to be somewhere now." I pushed Tetra away before she could ask any more questions.

I sighed. Little sisters. I made my way back to the gym wing to meet Link. Time to go get him a phone.

* * *

 **A/N: There we go! The next few chapters will parallel stuff you've already read, but with important information from Zelda's side. You may be tempted to just skim through, but PAY ATTENTION, since a lot of the details here will tie elegantly with details on Link's side.**

 **There are at least two important things that Zelda has to do before we get back to Link's side. Since the events have already happened, I'll do the parallels two to three chapters at a time, since you're all itching to find out Link's fate.**

 **Don't forget to drop me a review. Stay tuned!**


	12. Chapter 12: Confession

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters. This story is written purely for the amusement of myself and my readers.**

 **Hey guys, I'm back a day early! I'm going to have a fun night out with friends tomorrow, so I won't be home to post the chapter, and I'm super busy Friday too (which is why we planned it on Thursday to begin with). I worked hard to finish the chapter so I wouldn't have to post it on Saturday.**

 **Also, this chapter is like _extremely_ long and weighty, so I recommend getting comfy and reading it carefully, since a lot of little details match up with stuff you've already read. And again, from ZELDA'S perspective.**

 **Alright, the chapter's more than long enough, so I'll cut the chit chat here. Enjoy!**

* * *

Tuesday went by really quickly for me. It was more of the same don't-embarrass-yourself-in-front-of-Link kind of stuff. We did get to meet our new mascot. Since we moved to the senior academy, our team name became the Castle Town Shadow Wolves. Way cooler than the Castle Town Junior Puppies, if you ask me.

Anyways, most of my day was looking forward to the match after school. Malon and her big mouth promised to keep my identity as the champion secret from Link. Since I didn't want him to go easy on a girl, of course. No other reason.

After school, I changed into my fencing gear as soon as Link left. But even by the time everyone else had started fighting, he didn't come back. He was late. That's the second time today.

"He'd better come," I muttered.

"Hmm?" I almost jumped out of my skin. Darmani was standing directly beside me, and I somehow didn't notice him despite his huge size. _Keep your head in the game, Zelda!_ "Did ya say something?"

"Want to warm up?" I asked, pulling my thoughts away from Link.

"Sure," replied my friend in red.

I took a court against Darmani, close to the door so I could see if Link would show up. I practised some basic techniques against Darmani. I didn't say it, but I barely had to try against anybody besides Darunia and Nabooru. And maybe the guy who just walked in the door. I stiffened, beginning to show off some flashier moves, finishing off Darmani with a flurry of my sword.

As I was recovering, Link got ready. When he squared off against me, I noticed he was fighting lefty as well. Not wanting to reveal my voice, I nodded a greeting at him.

Darunia refereed for us. As soon as he said go, I unleashed the same flurry that I had used on Darmani. No good. We were completely even in power. Even the Back Slice didn't work. Just as I was starting to panic, Link made an aggressive swipe. Seeking to punish his mistake, I tried to swipe at him, but my blade met only air. I recovered as quickly as I could, but I couldn't locate Link. Just then, I heard a yell from above and felt a poke on the back of my head. I already disoriented, staggered and fell. Well played, Link.

I waited for him to remove his mask before I took mine off. The look on his face was priceless.

"Zelda?!" he sputtered. I smirked

"I did say I would be here," I spoke as flirtatiously as I could. "Well, are you gonna help me up, or what?"

After the match, Link said he would teach me to do what he did in the match. He also has a Gossip Stone, and I wowed him by talking to him through it.

* * *

The next day was pretty much the same, but I was looking forward to band instead of fencing.

Come 3 o'clock, we were in Mikau's room, with him and Darmani sitting on their respective beds, me and Lulu together on a large armchair, and Link on a wooden chair that he pulled from the kitchen. I was strumming the _Ballad of the Goddesses_ absentmindedly, with Lulu humming along to the rhythm. Mikau tuned his guitar, and started asking Link some questions. They grabbed my attention when Link claimed that his ocarina does weird stuff. Sure enough, his ocarina had the properties of the legendary Ocarina of Time.

He also knew Zelda's Lullaby, which likely means he's a descendant of the Hero of Time. When I told him about that, he fainted and I had to take him to the medical wing. After he came to, I remembered to tell him to meet his sister in the garden. We parted ways, and I went straight home to refresh on some history. Not for any class, but for myself. It reassured me to know that the first Link fell in love with the first Zelda, and it was highly likely that every Link, sharing the same spirit, also fell in love with their Zelda. Which means that it's highly likely that my Link likes me too. _Highly likely, but not for sure._ I sighed. Right, not even the Hyrule Historia was certain about the Links' thoughts.

So my crush might be true love. Fairy tale happily ever after and stuff. Whoopee. The only problem was that I had no idea how to approach this. The only relationship I've been in is with Shiek, and he was the one to ask me out. Come to think of it, I have no idea how to break up with Shiek either. He's one of my closest friends, and I don't want to hurt him.

Ah, I'm sure I'll figure it out.

* * *

On Thursday, I learned the jumpy head-pokey thing that Link did, he called it the "Helm Splitter", along with some other cool stuff. He taught me that you can channel magic through a sword. He seemed surprised when I said I use magic for other stuff too, so I'm guessing he's not a mage. He talked weird during the lessons, though. He sounded almost hollow, like a ghost. Ancient teachings indeed.

He had just finished scaring me half to death with the "Mortal Draw". I tried to do it, but couldn't for some reason. He smiled.

"It comes with practice. It doesn't have that much use though. It's only meant for when you're truly desperate and run out of other options."

"Well, I'm gonna stay here and practice for a bit longer," I lied. I had other plans: ones that he couldn't know about. "Don't you have to go meet your sister?"

"Right. Do you need me to help you clean up?" he offered

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm sure Darunia will help if I ask. Just go meet your sister for some family time, 'kay?"

He obliged, returning his equipment. "See ya, Zelda!"

"Bye, Link!" I returned. Careful to wait a while to make sure he was gone, I proceeded to run over to Darunia, ditching my practice equipment.

"Darunia, could you clean up for us?" I asked hurriedly.

"What's th' hurry?" he asked.

"I've got -uh- urgent plans," I responded vaguely.

"Uh-huh," he replied, obviously a bit suspicious. "Now since you're normally a good student, I'll let you off this once, but-"

"Thanks, Darunia, you're the best!" I interrupted, running off to the dorms.

When I got to Link's dorm, it was locked, as expected. No problem. I'm pretty sure Shiek keeps an extra key around here somewhere. A quick look around revealed the only hiding places in the near vicinity to be a pair of potted plants at the end of the hall. Sure enough, there was a key tucked in the dirt under the left plant. I grabbed it and unlocked the door, being careful to return the key exactly where it was before entering the room. I locked it again from the inside to avert suspicion.

I couldn't believe I was doing this.

When I was inside, I began to look around for my prize. His closet contained only an open suitcase filled with clothes, which were still neatly packed. I didn't touch that. His drawer contained a red and black crystal, which emitted a sinister aura that made me shiver. I quickly slammed the drawer shut. I then checked under his bed. Whoa. There was a massive book there, probably the size of the top of a school desk. It was held firmly in place with his Gossip Stone.

Smart, but these were originally made to serve the Royal Family.

I traced the symbol on the front of the stone, and in the most commanding voice I could muster, whispered in Ancient Hylian, "By the order of the Princess of Hyrule, release this book immediately." The stone briefly glowed blue, I was able to remove it afterwards. I knew that course on ancient language would be useful at some point.

Well, Link, let's see what goes on in that hopelessly attractive head of yours.

I cracked open the book, flipping through some of the earlier pages to get some background. The pages weren't lined, and were mostly covered in doodles with regular paragraphs. By the looks of the spacing, he took about a page for every week or so. I stopped to read a particular entry, where I noticed his handwriting changed.

 _Got back from the hospital today. Three broken fingers, a cracked rib, minor head trauma and moderate blood loss, the nurses said. Ganondorf beat me up. He said something about ruling the world together if I joined him. He called himself Power and me Courage, then he said something about finding Wisdom._

 _Man, this guy is something else. Rule the world? And he expected me to join him! Like I'd rule the world with him. Feels like hell just sitting in the same room as him._

What?

My heart ached for Link. I knew from my dad that he'd gone through some tough times. Now I was beginning to understand the real meaning of tough times. I skimmed through a few more pages. Some entries were dark and sad, while others made me smile ever so slightly despite the grim nature of Link's past. How could he live like this?

I skipped ahead a couple hundred pages, remembering what I was here for. I checked out the few most recent entries.

 _Well, today sucked, but at least it's over. I've got the entire summer without having to worry about anything. Almost makes me like life again. I really hope next year is different. I don't know what I'll do if I have to go through another year of this. But I guess that'll come when it comes._

 _Life just feels really empty right now. I don't have any friends, everyone hates me, and nobody wants to talk to me about anything serious. Heck, the only reason I stayed is that Aryll needs me. I just wish there was somebody I could truly confide in._

I gasped. He didn't mean? No he couldn't have. He's still alive now, right?

 _Today was pretty crazy. We went to Kakariko to stock up on food and stuff. I scored an empty bottle and Aryll brought home a bag full of rupees. She can do the horizontal slash pretty well, maybe she could go into fencing at some point._

 _What's even crazier is the fact that I managed to land a scholarship with the Hyrule Castle Town Academy. I'll go to a recognized school, get into a good university, and hopefully build a future for myself and Aryll. But most importantly, I'll get to turn over a new leaf. I get to start fresh. Maybe people will actually like me there. I can hardly wait to find out._

 _I still can't get over that dream I had though. It was just the girl, nothing else. I don't even think the ground was there. I mean I'm not complaining. She was kind of attractive, to be honest. It gave me more time to focus on her. But the only thing she said was "help". I don't get it. Who was she? Help with what? Why me? I don't mind helping a pretty girl, but I'm not like a prophet or a hero or anything. I'm just a regular kid._

Oh come on, Link! You could totally be a hero! Heck, you probably are one, according to Hyrule's history.

 _This is cool, I guess, being in a dorm in a private school in Castle Town. Would be pretty cool if I didn't make a fool out of myself on the first day._

 _So I met this really pretty girl, and I just lost all social ability. She caught me staring at her within the first two minutes of social interaction. I apparently helped her a bunch with some sticker thing though, and she hugged me. I enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure my face was redder than an overripe tomato at that moment. I ran away without really saying anything, which I regret now. On top of all of that, her locker is right beside mine, so I'll have to relive that for the rest of this year at least._

 _I hope she doesn't think I'm weird. Because I think I like her...maybe...I don't know!_

Maybe? That's about as good as I already know. And you didn't make a fool out of yourself! If anything, I did! I sighed, opting to continue my reading.

 _My first day here was great! I made tons of friends, and most of my teachers like me. This is the first place I feel like I actually fit in. It's great._

 _Zelda seems to be involved in everything I'm interested in. I'm not complaining, because it means I get to spend a lot of time with her. But I wonder if she likes me like that, or if she just likes me as a friend. I do know for a fact that she likes me as a friend though, so at least that's a thing. It's better than nothing, right?_

 _But what if Aryll tells Zelda that I like her? Oh Din, what if that makes her think I'm creepy? What if this crush ruins my chances of being happy for once? I don't know! I could never tell her then. I hope she likes me and makes the first move..._

I felt another smile tug at my lips. So he was happy. Nice. And he wants me to make the first move. Easy enough.

 _Well it turns out Zelda's even cooler than I thought. Apparently, she's the fencing champion of the school. She actually put up a pretty good fight, considering it was against me. What's more is that she wants me to teach her about the sword on Thursday. That also means that I get to spend more time with her, so I'm all for it._

 _She also has a Gossip Stone. Apparently they can do a lot of things, like talk to other Gossip Stones. That means we can talk to each other whenever we want._

That's right, I'm cool. Hang out with me more.

 _Today I learned that I have the legendary Ocarina of Time, and that I know songs that only the Hero of Time would know._

 _So I'm the next chosen hero, the next Link. Zelda is a descendant of a family of princesses. And from what I can tell, Ganondorf is the next King of Darkness. The legends are true._

 _According to the legends, Ganondorf would hold the Triforce of Power, Zelda the Triforce of Wisdom, and I the Triforce of Courage. Power was stolen by the King of Darkness, and Wisdom and Courage would work together to defeat it. Ganondorf already knows that I'm Courage, and he's looking for Wisdom right now, if he hasn't already found her. But I don't want Zelda to be involved in this. I don't want to put her in danger. In the short time that I've known her, she's become my best friend, and like a twin sister. I don't want to lose her. I don't think I can handle losing her._

 _...I think I love her..._

A tear rolled down my cheek. A happy tear. Remembering my surroundings, I dried it before it could wet Link's journal. I was just so happy! Not for myself, since Link likes me, but for him, because I could be a part of his happiness. There was some fluttery feeling in my soul telling me that I did good. It felt good to make a difference in someone else's life. I sniffled. I'm going to do something. I turned back to the front cover of the book, keeping a finger in the page that I left off at. There was a pen in the front corner. Ornate-looking, like an ancient sword or something. I took it and flipped back to my page.

By the looks of it, Link had enough space left on his current page for three, maybe four entries. The most recent entry was especially long, so that would make the page five or six entries long. I flipped to the next page, since I didn't want Link to find out right away. I opened the pen and wrote two simple lines.

 _I love you too, Link._

 _-Zelda_

The empty space gives me three to four days to break up with Shiek. I don't want to do this over text or call, since it's kind of important, so I'll wait for him to come back. That gives me Friday night, all Saturday, and maybe Sunday.

Satisfied, I returned Link's pen to it's pocket in the front cover. I then slid the book back to its place under Link's bed, and replaced the Gossip Stone. As I was leaving, I saw the lock turn, followed by the doorknob. I yelped, and by trying to suppress it, caused it to come out as a high-pitched squeak.

 _Shoot! I hope he didn't hear that!_

I ran over to the closet, jumping into hiding as quickly as I could I didn't want to close the already-open door, so I pressed myself against the side wall. From my vantage point, I saw Link go straight to his bed and sit down. His expression was a mixture of shock, anger, and something else I couldn't identify. I pressed myself harder against the wall. If I can see him, he can see me, I reminded myself.

 _How am I supposed to get out of here?_

Just then, I heard a the sound of something being thrown against a wall. He was angry for sure. I didn't dare peek out, for fear that I would make him even angrier for sneaking into his room. I was stuck. I had only one choice, and only with one chance.

I closed my eyes, and imagined my own room. I let my mind's eye paint a vivid picture of the room. Then, I felt the familiar sensation of the wind under my feet, carrying me away from danger. Thank Farore for Farore's Wind.

When I felt my feet touch solid ground again, I opened my eyes. For once, I was relieved to see Malon's freckled face staring at me.

"What happened that you had to do the teleporting thing?" she asked.

"Too much," I replied simply. "Too much happened."

With that, I slumped onto my bed to get some rest and contemplate what I had just read.

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, no! Bad Zelda! If you want to know about Link, just ask!**

 **Just kidding! It is the fault of our dear author, me! Bad me!**

 **Alright, I'll leave you guys with that. Hope you enjoyed, and drop a review if you feel so inclined.**


	13. Chapter 13: Triforce

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **I'm posting on Wednesday again because I'm busy on Thursday. Next week will probably be the same, but once September comes, it'll be back to Thursday, since I'll be busy on Wednesday like normal. Boy, summer schedule sure is messed up.**

 **Also, this is the last chapter from Zelda's perspective. Again, it's long and weighty, so get comfy before you read.**

* * *

Link seemed a bit off today. He wasn't his usual, happy self. He barely talked to me. Which was weird considering what I had read last night. Something was definitely up. So naturally, I decided to go see. I went to his dorm after classes and knocked on his door. When he answered, he was in a white T-shirt and grey shorts. His shirt had a huge hole in the shoulder and a rip in the opposite sleeve and his face was stained with...tears?

"Oh my Din, you look awful!" I said out of reflex.

"Hello to you too," he greeted.

"Link...What's wrong? You're not yourself."

"Nothing's wrong," he responded dryly.

"Link. I care about you, so just let me stop worrying, alright?" I let my tone tone soften, hoping to draw some answers out. "You...you trust me, right?"

"I-" He paused, taking a deep breath. "I want to, I really do. I just...don't know if I'm able to."

"I understand. After all that you've been through, you have reason not to trust other people. Just know that I'll be here for you whenever you want, and all you have to do is ask." It was true. I haven't been through what he had, but I knew how important I was to him. And I was determined to make a difference for him.

"Thank you," he said.

I nodded sympathetically and turned to go. I'll come back some other time. He needed space.

As I was leaving, I bumped into someone. He was wearing a baggy black hoodie and matching black jeans. "Sorry," he muttered. There was a short interval when he said nothing, before he realized who I was. "Zelda?" He kissed my cheek. Shiek.

"Shiek, this is Link, your new roommate!" I offered.

The blond extended his hand. "Hi, Link," greeted Shiek.

"Hi, Shiek," replied Link. He stretched, and pulled his hoodie over his head again. "I'm gonna go take a walk in Castle Town." That was good. He'd get some air and maybe feel a bit better.

"Cool, Shiek and I are going into town too," I needed to talk with Shiek.

The walk to Castle Town was really awkward. I was sandwiched between the two boys and neither of them would talk properly. Link was still sulking by the looks of it, and Shiek would answer all my questions about his trip with single words. "Yes." "No." "Fun." "Good." Soon, Link broke off from our group, leaving only me and Shiek. With my frustration building, I pushed Shiek against a wall.

"You're sick," I stated.

"No?" he replied.

"That wasn't a question. You're sick," I repeated. "Your voice is all messed up, you won't talk," I paused to feel his forehead. "and your head is super cold."

"What are you talking about?" That was his first full sentence since he came back.

"There's something wrong, go see Dr. Borville," I commanded, turning back to the academy.

"C'mon, Zelda-"

"I'm not talking to you until you go see the doctor," I interrupted, already speed-walking back to the school grounds.

When I got back to my dorm, Malon wasn't there. Probably out in Castle Town, as per usual on Friday nights. I reread the day's chapter for math class to pass some time, then I texted Shiek.

 _What did doc say?_

 _Just flu_ was the response. I had a strong hunch it wasn't "just flu", but I decided against pressing the issue any further.

 _K._

With that, I went to bed. I didn't sleep much though. I spent the night trying to think of an appropriate way to break up with Shiek. I realized during our walk to Castle Town that "I like Link better" is a bit sudden, and frankly a bit rude. After a while, I heard Malon open the door. Even though I was still wide awake, I concluded based on this that it was around two in the morning. I sat up, getting Malon's attention.

"Can't sleep?" she asked, looking a bit concerned. Malon was a night owl, while I was an early bird. It didn't cause us any problems since we've both learned to be quiet while the other is sleeping, but she did express concern over the fact that I was still awake.

"I'm trying to think of a polite way to break up with Shiek," I replied, shaking my head. "You have any ideas? You did call dibs on him."

Malon laughed. "Zelda, there's no polite way to break up with someone!"

I tried to protest, but was interrupted with more cackling. Annoyed, I stuffed a pillow in Malon's face. "So I just tell him I like Link better?" I asked over the muffled laughing.

Malon pushed me off her. "Oh, no way! I thought you were more aware than that! You're just supposed to say you don't like him anymore. No details about the future, or you'll make it weird."

"Huh? I don't get it..."

"Just say 'I don't think this relationship is going anywhere,' or something like that."

"Okay, you're the expert." Despite Malon never having been in an actual relationship, I still trusted her judgement better than anyone else. She was the gossip girl of our friend group, the first one to know about everything embarrassing. And she was always right about her pairings. She guessed Mikau and Lulu would be together a full year and a half before it was official.

"Right, you should get to bed. You don't want to be _too_ dead tomorrow, do you?"

"Tomorrow's Saturday. I'll have nothing to do." This was true, but it was way past my usual bedtime. I was tired, so I went to bed anyway.

* * *

The next couple of days were really boring. Both Link and Shiek were mostly absent. Darmani had a party on Sunday, and we decided to go bowling. We didn't have class that Monday, so Lulu took the girls clothes shopping, and I think the guys were playing Call of Duty at Mikau's. I had no interest in either of those activities, so I stayed in my room reading, playing Minesweeper and just wasting time in general.

* * *

Come Tuesday, and Link still hasn't asked me out and he was still sulky and sad. This was weird, since he should have seen my note. Maybe the pages stuck together when I wrote it? Ugh, that would be terrible.

Link wasn't at fencing club either. This worried me. As I was leaving the gym, Mikau and Darmani flagged me over.

"Hey, Zelda! We're all going down to Castle Town to get some food! You down?" asked Darmani.

"I would, but something's up with Link," I responded.

"Aw, but everyone else is going!" protested Darmani.

"Don't worry, Zelda. I'll go check on him. We'll catch up if he's up for it," offered Mikau. "And I can hang with Pipit if he's not."

I hesitated. "Um, sure. See you there, hopefully."

I was disappointed when Link didn't show up. Everyone was there except Pipit, Midna, Mikau and Link. The food was pretty good though. After we ate, I decided to stop putting things off. I pulled Shiek aside.

"Um, Shiek, I don't think our relationship is going anywhere, so, uh, I think we should end it here," I said.

"I see," he replied, taking my left hand in both of his. "But you and I, we were meant to be together." I felt a warm sense of belonging. Like we somehow were _meant_ to be together. I shook my head. No, I was meant to be with Link.

"No, Shiek. I don't feel it."

"Zelda, we are meant to be together," he repeated, his voice rising. The warm feeling in my hand escalated until it was hot, then searing. I jerked my hand away.

Shiek looked angry. He didn't stand like Shiek anymore. He didn't talk like Shiek or walk like Shiek. That's when I noticed something. Black veins were creeping up his neck and around his face. The same black veins appeared on his hands. My blood ran cold. "You're not Shiek."

"You are correct, Wisdom. And I'm surprised it took you so long to find out," replied the Shiek-demon. "The only reason I had your friend come to Kakariko was to embody him, to attempt to gain your favor. I see that that has failed. Now, join me, and bear witness to true Power!" A black horn materialized in the Shiek-demon's hand, and he blew it.

And they came.

They came so quickly.

A horde, no, a flood of shadow monsters. They broke down the gates, tore down walls, and swallowed crowds. Hundreds fell at the hands of the guards, but hundreds more rose up to replace them. As I ran, I heard the screams of those who were slower than me. I dared not look back. And I thought of my father's room. _Take me there, where I'll be safe._ Then, I felt the wind under my feet, and I was in my father's room.

"Dad!" I panted. "Castle Town...there's an emergency."

My dad made a call while I caught my breath. When he was finished, he took a deep breath. "Zelda, gather the students that aren't in Castle Town. I'll gather the teachers. We'll meet in-"

"In my room," I interrupted. I made my way out before my dad could protest, and texted the group.

 _Guys, emergency. Dad says to meet in my room._

 _Omw, Pipit's with me too._ Replied Mikau.

 _Fine._ Replied Midna.

Link didn't reply. I called him. Unavailable. Maybe his phone was dead? I picked up the pace, walking into my room. I put my hand on the Gossip Stone and talked. "Link. Link. Link!"

As I was trying to make contact with Link, people filed into my room. Not many, surprisingly. I guess a lot of people were in town. Finally, after about five minutes, I heard a response.

"On my way," said Link. He arrived only a minute later.

"Link! You're here!" I cried, relieved.

"Yeah," he affirmed. "What's this for?"

"Well, Castle Town was attacked by an army of unidentified creatures. Darmani, Malon, Lulu and Shiek are among those that were in the Town at the time. We haven't been able to make contact with any of the students in Castle Town since the attack. We've also lost contact with many civilians," explained my dad. "The creatures were last seen leaving from Castle Town's West Gate, which is the furthest one from here. There was no reported bloodshed in the Town, which suggests that everybody who is unaccounted for has been captured by the army, but is still alive. Unfortunately, the West Gate is too far away from here to make the journey in a reasonable time frame." I assumed this information came from the call he made.

"I can go," I blurted.

"Out of the question!" boomed my father. "You are the only person here who has the power of such fast transportation. It would be beyond foolish for you to go alone. I will not risk the life of my daughter on such a mission."

"I'm strong enough to take somebody with me. I won't go alone," I countered. _I'll go with_ _Link, please._

My dad agreed. "Fine, take Instructor Megaton with you. He is experienced in weapons and will protect you."

"Are ya kiddin' me?" cried Darunia. "If ya want a swordsman, take Link here! He beat me on 'is first try!"

"Yeah, he can cut a dummy in half with a _practice sword_!" My chances were looking good. Link _was_ the most useful one here.

"That settles it," my father said. "Get Link a good sword from the storage room. Link, Zelda, you leave as soon as possible."

We nodded in unison, and ran out the door with Darunia in tow.

As Link was arming himself, I noticed his shield. It was so shiny and polished, I could see my reflection in it. I fixed my hair. Soon, Link turned around, pulling my attention away from my hair. "Ready to go, Link?" I asked. He nodded in response, sheathing his sword. "Hold on to me tight, okay?"

I wrapped my arms around his waist, while he draped his arms over my shoulders. We both squeezed each other.

"Get ready, it's a bit disorienting," I warned. "Close your eyes, it helps with the motion sickness."

And in an instant, we were in Hyrule Field. The army I had escaped not more than half an hour ago was approaching us, holding a crude cage.

"Master Link, these enemies are Bokoblins. These monsters have plagued the land since ancient times. They each play different roles, and their weaponry varies. They prefer to act in groups. None of them are intelligent by any definition of the word. Curiously, they seem to have a mysterious obsession with fashionable undergarments," I heard.

"What was that?" I asked.

"That's Fi, a sword spirit that resides in the gem on this pen," he answered.

"Oh." I said simply. I smiled at him. "Ready?"

"You bet."

Link charged at the army. I hung a little ways behind him, casting Lesser Din's Fire repeatedly. The fireballs exploded satisfyingly against the Bokoblins' ranks. When we got to the center, Fi began to inform Link about Moblins. I noticed one winding up for an attack. "Link!" I shouted. He seemed so vulnerable. I jumped in front of him, casting Nayru's Love to protect the both of us. It was draining. Since our attacks subsided, the horde of Bokoblins surrounded us, trying to attack us through my magical barrier. I needed to cast the big spell. But I had no time.

"L-Link...cover me..."

And he did. I felt the resistance against the barrier go away. Without hesitating, I used the last of my energy to cast Greater Din's Fire. Without even seeing the results, I collapsed, trusting that Link would do all he could to protect me.

* * *

I woke up in a dark room. I felt my left wrist bound by a shackle. I cast Lesser Din's Fire and used the light to see. I was in a confined dungeon cell, and there was another person next to me. I shifted his face towards me. Shiek. Not possessed demon Shiek, but old childhood friend Shiek. No black veins. Shiek. I sighed in relief and shook him awake.

"Zelda? Where am I?" His voice was back to normal. Whoever, _whatever_ , was inside him was gone.

"I don't know. Shiek, I need you to hold on to me so I can take us home."

"Okay, Zelda," he obeyed. "Sorry for getting possessed. He has the Triforce of Power. That's what you felt when he made me hold your hand."

"It's okay, it wasn't your fault," I comforted him. "Close your eyes."

I thought of the place where I spent so many of my days. I thought of home, and in an instant, we were back at the Academy. We were immediately greeted by our group of friends.

"Zelda! Shiek! You're all right!" cried Mikau. "Where's Link?"

I felt my face go pale. "I thought he was back here with you guys."

I heard Darmani curse. "We have to go look for him!" he cried.

"I'll go," I answered. "You guys take care of Shiek. He's been through a lot."

I used Farore's Wind to go back to Hyrule Field. "Link!" I cried. Nothing. I went to Castle Town. "Link!" Nothing. Kakariko. Nothing. Lake Hylia. Nothing. With every use of Farore's Wind I became more and more worried. Tears started flowing. My cries became more and more desperate. I feared the worst. But I had to find him. In a desperate last resort, I did something I have never done before. I didn't think of a place.

I thought of the smell of cut grass. I thought of that first day, when I hugged him. I thought of that day when I fenced him. I thought of him teaching me his techniques. I thought of that day when I read his journal, of how he came home angry, and of how he was sad for the rest of the week. I thought of when I comforted him, how grateful he looked. I thought of how he fought an entire army just now, risking his life to protect others, to protect me. I thought of his brownish blonde hair that was always messy but never ugly. I thought about his strong blue eyes, the eyes of a Hero. I thought of how the past week has been the best week of my life.

I thought of Link.

 _Please, take me to Link._

* * *

 **A/N: And there we go! Zelda's side of the story! I'm sure this answers questions you didn't even have before, but not the one you've wanted the answer to for the past three weeks. Need I remind you that you need to wait another week to find out Link's fate?**

 **That's it for this week. Drop a review if you want. Peace out.**


	14. Chapter 14: A Second Chance

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **OK, back to Link's perspective with this one. Sorry for the short chapter, since I'm not really feeling up to writing right now. Something came up, and I almost forgot to even write the chapter. That being said, don't be surprised if I don't update next week.**

* * *

Three.

"I'm sorry, Hyrule."

Two.

"I'm sorry, Zelda."

One.

"Link!"

I hesitated, almost losing my balance and falling.

"Link, wait!"

I felt a hand grab my own, pulling me back. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor with the girl I loved on top of me. And then she kissed me. She didn't say anything to explain how she was here or why she was doing it. She just kissed me.

When she broke the kiss, I was still stunned. After a pause, Zelda broke the silence. "I love you with all my heart, Link. Don't ever do that to me again," she said brokenly. I felt warm droplets of water hit my face. "I thought I lost you." With that, she buried her face in my tunic. I felt my own tears forming, but I let her rest. I needed some rest too.

* * *

When we woke up, dawn was breaking. Shoot. Zelda's dad is going to _kill_ us. I shook Zelda awake.

"Zelda?"

"Hmmm?"

I thought for a second before saying, "I love you too."

"I know," she smiled innocently. Before I could ask any questions, she fired one of her own. "Why?"

"Well, because you're the first friend I've ever had and that makes you really important to me. The fact that you went out of your way to-"

"No, silly," she interrupted. Her tone darkened. "Why'd you try to kill yourself?" I saw tears start to form in her eyes again. She wiped them away.

"'Cause I thought you were dead," I replied dumbly. "How'd you manage to get away from those guys?"

Zelda let out a small chuckle. "Have you forgotten?" In that instant, my vision swam, and we were back at the Academy in a second.

Oh.

Well, I'm stupid.

"Zelda, you're all right!" A puffy-eyed Lulu ran up to us, followed by a very tired-looking Mikau. "What took you guys so long? We thought something bad happened."

"Yeah, but by the looks of it, their night was pretty peaceful," Mikau smiled.

My eyes widened. I realized that Zelda was still on top of me. "Oh, no no no no NO! That's not what happened, we just uh-"

"We had to hide from a whole bunch of bad guys, so we hid behind this rock, but there was no space!" Zelda finished. She had turned red too.

Mikau smiled wider. "Sure, guys." Before I could protest, he became more serious. "But guys, everyone's worried about you. You should go tell everyone you're okay. Probably a good idea to start with the headmaster."

I groaned inwardly. How was I supposed to explain this to Zelda's dad? As we made our way to the headmaster's office, Zelda poked me.

"You look flustered, I'll do the talking." She opened the door to the headmaster's office. He stood up almost instantly.

"Zelda! Are you alright?" he rushed over to Zelda.

"Dad, I'm fine," she replied calmly. "Link and I just got separated, so I had to go get him before we escaped."

"Neither of you are hurt?"

"No, Dad, we're fine," she repeated. "But I think we have to fulfill our fates or something. That attack means the Dark Lord has risen again, and only the Hero can stop him."

"And that Hero is Link," confirmed Gaepora. "As I suspected. I will do all that I can to help you." Gaepora looked worried.

"We'll need the Master Sword. It's the only weapon capable of slaying the King of Darkness. Do you know where it is?" asked Zelda.

"It is in the ancient Temple of Time, but its location has been lost, I'm afraid," replied Gaepora.

"I guess I'll go do some research then," said Zelda. "We'll find it." We turned around to leave. As I looked back at Gaepora, he seemed very worried, even sad. I turned around and spoke to him for the first time in the encounter.

"Don't worry, headmaster. I'll protect your daughter. I swear my life on it."

I saw his eyes lift slightly, a slight smile flashing over his lips. I returned it, and we left.

As soon as we were out the door, Fi chimed up. "Master Link, I have information to give you regarding the whereabouts of the Master Sword."

"Go ahead."

"As the headmaster said, the Master Sword is hidden in the Temple of Time. The nearest entrance to the temple is hidden underground in Castle Town's catacombs. However, dark places such as this often house shadow creatures, such as the Bokoblins you have already encountered. I suggest preparing well before you seek out your sword."

Zelda stuck her tongue out. "So the Temple of Time is in the sewers?"

"Incorrect," replied Fi. "The catacombs are a separate network of tunnels, independent from the sewers. Though they are sometimes linked, you should rarely encounter water from the sewer system in the catacombs."

"Oh, that's fine then," she replied.

"So you're coming with?" I asked. She nodded happily.

* * *

"I thought you said this place wasn't the sewers," groaned Zelda, holding her nose. She was walking close behind me, holding a small fireball in her free hand for light.

"Hey, at least there's no poop water here," I said, also holding my nose. The smell was really pervasive. "I guess you could expect it, since the sewers are supposedly right next to here.

Suddenly, Zelda screamed. "OH MY DIN THAT'S GROSS DON'T STEP HERE!" I felt an impact on my back, and staggered and grabbed at the wall to keep my balance.

"Dude, I'm right in front of you, just follow where I went," I replied, waiting for Zelda's weight to shift away from my back before letting go of the wall.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I regret everything."

"Hey, at least there's no baddies down here. Speaking of which, there should probably be baddies down here. That's suspicious," I noted.

"You're right, do you think we took a wrong turn? There's always bad guys where you need to go in these situations," mused Zelda.

"Fi?" I called, holding my pen out straight in front of me. I felt it vibrate.

"You are moving in the correct direction. By my estimates, you are about half a kilometer away from your destination. Due to the small chance of damage to the tunnels, I calculate a 6% chance that you will be forced to turn back. By my calculations, your best course of action is to continue on your current path."

"Weird. I'd say keep your guard up. Especially behind us," I told Zelda. As a response, I saw the firelight get slightly brighter. We pressed forward.

* * *

After a little while, the tunnel opened to a huge cave. Before us stood a giant, ornate temple with the Hylian Crest on the front. Zelda let her fireball go out, since the temple itself seemed to shine with a holy light.

"This is amazing!" shouted Zelda. "Link, come feel these walls!"

I looked back to see Zelda running her hand along the wall of the cave. I did the same.

"Wow, this is so smooth! It's like the rocks tried to cover the temple, but they can't because it's sacred."

"That's because the temple _is_ sacred, Link!" laughed Zelda.

"I guess you're right," I replied. "Well, ready to go inside?"

"You bet!"

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, that's it. I know, a big change from the recent long chapters. I guess I'll use the extra space to tell you where I am with this fanfiction stuff.**

 **1\. I've just finished with the storyboard, which means that the skeleton of the plot is completely done. So no more suggestions for that please.**

 **2\. There will be exactly 4 more chapters, which gives us 18 in total. I originally planned for this to be a longer project, but I don't want to force anything. Besides, this is my first story so I'm going for quality over quantity.**

 **3\. No, I'm not tired of writing. Something just came up, that made me want to end this thing. I liked working on it, but I need a break soon.**

 **4\. I don't have any plans for a new project of this size within the foreseeable future. I _may_ do random oneshots, but nothing of this size.**


	15. Chapter 15: Wisdom

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **Final stretch guys. I'm working really hard on these last few chapters because they're the grand finale and stuff. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The inside of the temple was a big, square room. A staircase snaked around on the inside wall. I couldn't see the top. The only other feature in the room was a Triforce emblem carved into the stone floor.

"Master Link, you are currently directly underneath the resting place of the Master Sword. I suggest you go retrieve it as soon as possible," I heard.

I glanced at Zelda. "This seems way too easy. There's nothing to fight us. Heck, it doesn't even look like there's _anything_ guarding this thing. We've only opened, like one door."

She shrugged, then looked up. "There's nothing to do but listen to your sword spirit, is there?"

"I guess you're right. I might be paranoid, but this feels like a setup. Let's just go."

We started to make our way up the stairs. The entire time, I had my sword out, and watched both sides for any attack. Or anything at all. But there was nothing.

We climbed for what seemed like an hour. Still nothing.

"Ugh, how tall is this thing?" moaned Zelda.

"I can't tell. Fi?"

"By my calculations, your distance from the Master Sword is approximately 800 meters. Your distance from the bottom of the tower is approximately 1200 meters."

"I can't think. How much longer is that?" asked Zelda.

"The height of each stair is about 20 centimeters. Therefore, you have 4000 stairs remaining. At least you're over halfway there," replied Fi.

"UGH NO!" cried Zelda, spinning around and sitting down. "I need a break then."

"Zelda, no! We don't have time for this!" I cried.

"Yes, we do." She scooted over to the edge of the stairs, and threw a fireball up and another one down. Neither made impact before fizzling out. With her point proven, she sat there, and wouldn't budge.

"Fine," I conceded, taking a seat next to her. "This is getting boring anyways. Anything you want to talk about?"

She thought for a moment before saying, "Yeah, actually. It's been bothering me for a bit now. How were you, like, okay with living like you did?"

"Uh," I began. I wasn't expecting her to ask about me. "Well, to be honest, I wasn't."

"What do you mean by that?"

"In short, I hated everything." Zelda looked confused, so I elaborated. "The only thing that kept me alive was Aryll. Like, I don't think I've ever really been happy until now. If you're curious, that's why I like you so much. Meeting you was the first time in my life when I wouldn't rather have been sleeping."

"Hmm. Well what do you think about things now? You have friends and people who care about you, but do you still hate everything from before?"

"Actually, no. If I had friends before, I might not have met you. I think everything happens for a reason, and everything is at least a bit good. Come to think about it, I never asked now your life was before all of this," I said, prompting Zelda to tell me a bit about her own past.

"Oh, I was a typical bookworm," she answered, turning slightly pink. "Like I did sports and art and stuff, but my big thing was school."

"So you were quiet?"

"Oh, no," she laughed. "I was loud. Just not in class."

"Hmm. So how were you with guys?" I joked.

"Fine actually. I've had some guys hit on me, but nothing too major. Most annoying was some chubby redhead guy who's not here anymore. Don't remember his name though."

"So, I'm pretty special for you to choose me, huh?" I smiled cheekily at her. She punched me in response.

"Hey, you're different, that's why," she said. After a pause, she stretched cutely. "Want to go now?"

"Yeah, for sure." We continued our trek up the temple. With nothing blocking our way. Call me paranoid, but I was watching our back, our front, and our every side for the entire time. Still nothing.

When we finally got to the top, we were greeted by a large stone door that was slightly ajar. I pushed it open, and we entered an ornate room with stained glass windows depicting the ancient legends, and five large statues of Darknuts arranged in a circle around the centerpiece: the Master Sword and its pedestal. Immediately, I abandoned my old sword, approached the Master Sword, and with a familiar grip, pulled it from the pedestal. I swung it around twice, admiring the beautiful hilt that my pen was modeled after.

That's when I heard Zelda's scream.

I whirled around to see her holding her leg in pain, with a bloody arrow stuck in the ground a couple of meters behind her. I looked up and saw a Bokoblin archer perched on top of each of the five Darknut statues. They were dressed in all black and were loading flaming arrows into their bows. Thinking quickly, I picked up the sword I had abandoned and threw it at an archer. Without missing a beat, I rolled over to Zelda and raised my shield in front of her. I heard the soft thud of an archer hitting the floor, and the clang of three arrows off my shield, with two more falling short of me.

"Zelda, I've got this," I said to her quietly. "Can you protect yourself?"

She nodded weakly, and after a delay, erected her crystal barrier. I reassured her, and went back into battle.

I looked around for my old sword, but couldn't find it. Good thing I didn't throw the important one. I sheathed the sword that I did have, and raised my shield again, making my way towards my one fallen foe. I salvaged its bow, and picked up four arrows from the ground. The bow was awkward for me, in the shape of a longbow with the size of a large crossbow. It was probably fine for the Bokoblins' body shape. I couldn't complain though. At least it was a bow. Dropping my shield, I nocked an arrow, took aim, and let it fly. I was rewarded with the thud of another fallen foe. I strafed to the side to avoid the Bokoblins' fire, then I fired again. Within thirty seconds, all five were down. I saw Zelda drop her barrier. I rushed over to her.

"Zelda, how bad is it?" I asked, taking quick observations. The arrow had torn through her right pant leg and pierced her skin. It was a long, shallow wound, characteristic of a glancing blow. Lucky it wasn't direct. It would have been a pain to get the arrow out.

"Listen..." she croaked. "Get...the door..."

Listen? I listened carefully. And I heard that sound, that nightmarish screeching that I wish I'd never heard, escalating in intensity with every passing second.

"Bokoblins." I understood. There was no way we could deal with a horde of those guys in our current state. I'd have to stay right by Zelda to protect her, since she would be in no condition to throw fireballs. That would limit my mobility. With that in mind, I rushed over to the door and shoved it closed. I pulled on it to test the give, and it was secured. Satisfied, I returned to Zelda.

"Link, I'm so sorry, I should have listened. I should have known that there would be bad guys." Zelda seemed to have recovered slightly. She was still visibly shaken, but she could talk. "I didn't have my guard up." She fidgeted.

"It's okay, I was careless too. Are you strong enough to take us back to safety, or should we wait?"

"We should wait," she answered. I cringed slightly when I heard scraping at the stone door. The screeching had risen to the same level as that day we fought the horde. I silently thanked whoever it was that built this temple.

"No problem." I tried my best to tend to Zelda's wound. I took off the white shirt I was wearing underneath my tunic. 98% cotton. Good enough. I wet it with my water bottle and used it to bandage her wound, making sure to apply firm pressure and stuff. I pay attention when I hear this stuff, okay?

"Thanks, Link. It feels a lot better. I think I can take us home now."

"You sure?"

Zelda only nodded, and I held on to her. I felt the now-familiar sensation of the wind under my feet. In an instant we were back at the Academy.

"Let's get you to the doctor, so he can clean that thing," I said.

"Yeah let's go," chirped Zelda, before trying to stand up. She cried out in pain, and crumbled to the floor.

"You good? I'll carry you." Zelda nodded, and I allowed her to get on my back.

When we got to the infirmary, Dr. Borville hastily washed, disinfected and bandaged Zelda's wound and sent us on our way. We left as quickly as possible, with Zelda leaning on me to take stress off her still-sore leg.

"Master Link, I would suggest that you remove the jewel embedded in your pen and replace it in the Master Sword," Fi requested. After setting Zelda down, I did, filling the empty hole in the sword. As if it were alive, the sword's hilt flared out, creating a wing-like structure. A figure appeared in front of us. She wore a navy blue cloak and dark leggings. Her skin was white and smooth like metal.

"Fi?"

"Master Link, you are prepared to do battle with the Dark Lord himself. I suggest you go see the headmaster. He should have information on the whereabouts of your foe," Fi informed, before disappearing into the Master Sword.

Just then, Gaepora ran up to us. "Link! Thank Farore you're back! There's been an attack on Hyrule Castle! Some demon thing's taken over the throne room. We they can't do anything to him!"

"I'll take him there," offered Zelda. "I've been there before, so I can get him there in a matter of seconds."

"Thanks, Zelda," I replied. "Be safe."

I closed my eyes, and felt the wind once again. I braced myself for what was coming.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you guys saved, because BOSS FIGHT! Also go do other stuff for a week and come back because that's how you play Zelda right?**

 **That's it for this week. Stay tuned, and drop a review if you want.**


	16. Chapter 16: Courage

**A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any related characters.**

 **Sorry for the late post. I had a driving lesson and didn't have time to post before.**

 **Woot! Boss fight! This is the epic moment that you've all been waiting for. I know this thing has turned out shorter than what I might have expected from the start, but hopefully it was still just as good. Like Wind Waker, right?**

 **Aight, let's just get to the chapter.**

* * *

Zelda screamed.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I was on the ground and Zelda was trapped in a magic crystal thing, suspended mid-air in the middle of the throne room. I tried to get up, but realized I couldn't. I looked up to see my old tormentor, Ganondorf, sitting on the historic Royal Throne.

"Courage," he sneered. "You should have joined me. We could have ruled the world together. Now, the day has come when you will regret your decision."

Out of reflex, my mind's eye made me see a familiar scene from my past.

 _"Courage!" boomed Ganondorf. "If you join me, we'll rule the world together!"_

 _It took all my strength to lift my head from the ground. The sand was stained red. "I...don't want to rule the world...with you..." I managed._

 _I felt a boot meet my side. I cried out and crumbled._ _"_ _Pathetic little fool! Do you realize who you're dealing with? I am Ganondorf and soon I will rule the world!"_

 _I heard sirens in the distance. I stopped moving. I stopped resisting._

 _"Power is given. Wisdom will be taken. Then Courage will come naturally," he continued. I felt his hot breath against my ear. "Courage. I will find Wisdom, and I will take her power. Then, you will regret this moment where you defied Power."_

I shook my head. I couldn't lose consciousness. I felt my hands shake. Was this it? Has everything I've gone through been in vain?

"Don't hurt him!" cried Zelda. I could see that she was in tears. "Please..."

"Don't worry, Wisdom. His death will be painless," replied Ganondorf.

I heard Zelda choke out another "please". This was it, I guess. I braced myself. But instead of a sword in my back, I felt a pressure being lifted.

"Rise," commanded Ganondorf.

"What?"

"RISE," he repeated. I did. What an idiot! I have the one weapon that can kill him, and he lets me get up?

"Why?" I asked.

"I am the bearer of the Triforce of Power, and I will use that power. Do you really think I would do something as weak as an execution? Draw your sword, Courage. Show me what your pathetic Courage can do against my Power." As he was saying this, Ganondorf stood up. He was even bigger than I remembered him, carrying a sword fitting his size. Involuntarily, my mind conjured the scene again.

 _"Courage!" boomed Ganondorf. "If you join me, we'll rule the world together!"_

 _It took all my strength to lift my head from the ground. The sand was stained red. "I...don't want to rule the world...with you..." I managed._

 _I felt a boot meet my side. I cried out and crumbled._ _"_ _Pathetic little fool! Do you realize who you're dealing with? I am Ganondorf and soon I will rule the world!"_

 _I heard sirens in the distance. I stopped moving. I stopped resisting._

 _"Power is given. Wisdom will be taken. Then Courage will come naturally," he continued. I felt his hot breath against my ear. "Courage. I will find Wisdom, and I will take her power. Then, you will regret this moment where you defied Power."_

It took all my energy to push the thought away. My pulse raced.

 _"I will find Wisdom."_

My hands shook.

 _"I will take her power."_

My vision blurred.

 _"Then, you will regret this moment where you defied Power."_

I saw Ganondorf's Triforce piece glow as he charged at me.

* * *

In that instant, time froze.

 _What are you doing?_

I saw a multitude of blue-eyed faces appear before me. Some had brown hair, some were blond. Some were young, some were old. But they all wore the same green tunic. And I recognized each one of them as me.

 _What's wrong? Every time before, you beat this. You've lived many lives dedicated only to this. What's different now? You're not just anybody who has to take this guy on._

 _You're Link._

 _You've beaten this guy a hundred times already. You developed the Hidden Skills. You've stopped a moon from falling. You wore a mask that made you a god. You are the savior of Hyrule. You bear the Triforce of Courage._

The army in green in front of me all raised their left hands. I saw a sea of golden Triforce marks, all glowing in front of my own eyes. The light glowed brighter, and I had to shield my eyes. When I looked back, they were gone, leaving only me, Zelda and Ganondorf in the room.

I looked at the frozen image of Ganondorf, charging me with a long, glowing white blade. I looked up at Zelda, the girl I loved who needed me to do this. Then, I looked at my hand, where the mark of the Triforce resided. And it glowed with a golden light. I smiled. I steeled myself. I was ready.

* * *

I dodged Ganondorf's assault, and attempted to counter with my own attack. He sidestepped it effortlessly.

"Pathetic," he taunted.

I growled, the mark of the Triforce glowing brighter on my hand. I would not be discouraged.

Ganondorf took another swing at me. I blocked with my shield. The impact sent me sliding backwards.

 _Don't be scared._

"Have you forgotten how I used to stomp you to the ground? You were never a match for me."

 _Don't listen to him._

I tried to swing at him, but he blocked expertly with his one-handed sword. He had impenetrable blocks, unmatched agility, and powerful attacks. I couldn't find a weakness. I kept on the defensive as I grasped for a plan to take down this formidable foe.

Wait.

Zelda.

I sidestepped one of Ganondorf's swings, and went in under his arm. I landed a Shield Attack square in the chest, then I unleashed a devastating Helm Splitter. The Dark Lord grunted and staggered, but without falling, shook it off and resumed his assault.

"Impressive," he commented. "I feel a strong power in you, Courage. Powerful, put not pure." I didn't respond. I was too busy with the battle. I dodged another attack, but I was slow. I was struck with a glancing blow by the hip. I hissed in pain. My tunic was stained red.

"Don't forget your past, Courage. Don't forget who _rules_ you. Do I strike _fear_ into your heart?"

"No." It was the first word I said during the battle. Simple, yet effective. Ganondorf screamed in rage. I raised my shield to block the incoming swing, which sent me sliding all the way across the room. I then sheathed my sword.

Breathe, Link.

I tracked Ganondorf's swift approach. I waited like a viper, for the perfect time. I drew my sword, doing a vicious spin towards Ganondorf to meet him. I felt a resistance in the blade, and I knew I had made contact. I dragged my blade across Ganondorf's body, from his left shoulder to his right hip. He recoiled. I had opened a wound. An ugly gash across his entire torso. But it didn't bleed blood. It glowed with a white light. It bled pure power.

Enough power to survive the Mortal Draw.

Ganondorf growled. He charged me with a two-handed swing. I blocked with both hands on my own sword, locking us in a duel of strength.

"You impress me, Courage. But don't forget, I'm not using my full power. Do I scare you yet?"

"You used to," I replied. I was in a sort of trance, where I didn't feel the strain on my muscles or the pain of my injuries. "You took away everything that made me happy, whenever you saw me. You took away my reason to live." I sneaked a glance at Zelda, who was watching our duel, mesmerized. "But that all changed two weeks ago. I met a girl who gave me my reason to live. Not only did she make me happy, but she also showed me my destiny. And with the fate of Hyrule in my hands, I will NOT let you scare me."

"FEAR ME!" shouted Ganondorf. The Triforce of Power glowed with a blinding golden light.

"You don't scare me," I repeated. The Triforce of Courage glowed brighter to match its foe. I released some slack on my sword, causing it to slip down towards the hilt of Ganondorf's. With the better leverage, I twisted my sword and pushed, sending my foe to the ground. Without missing a beat, I jumped up and delivered an Ending Blow, straight in the middle of Ganondorf's open wound.

My opponent reared his head with a mighty roar. The sound faded into silence, and the body went limp. The wound from my Mortal Draw now bled blood instead of power. I let go of my blade and stood up. It was finished.

* * *

 **A/N: Idrk what to say here but it feels weird to break a fifteen-chapter structure about having an opening and a closing A/N. But whatever.**

 **Drop a review if you like. Cya next week.**


	17. UPDATE

**This is not a new chapter.**

It just occurred to me that I should update you guys after like three weeks of silence.

No, the story is not over. I have two more chapters in the oven still.

Those two chapters are both half-baked because I've been super busy with school.

You shouldn't expect a chapter to be done for the next few weeks. I don't see the busyness ending anytime soon

I'm really sorry, but that's how it's gotta go. My future is more important than this story. Hope you guys understand.


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